KUCHING: A man was fined a total of RM3,000, in default three months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here after pleading guilty to three counts of dishonestly retaining stolen money linked to a loan scam.
The accused, Sufi Sarol, admitted to all three charges under Section 411 of the Penal Code before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan.
The court sentenced him to a fine of RM1,000 or one month imprisonment for each charge.
According to the charges, the offences were committed at a house along Lorong Bayor Bukit here, where the accused was found to have retained stolen money totalling RM2,560 in his CIMB Bank account.
The amounts involved were RM682, RM530 and RM1,348, all belonging to the complainant.
Under Section 411 of the Penal Code, the offence carries a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both upon conviction.
Case facts revealed that the complainant had fallen victim to a non-existent loan scheme advertised online and dealt with an individual claiming to represent a company based in Ipoh, Perak.
She had applied for a loan of RM65,000 but was instructed to make several payments purportedly for processing fees.
The complainant subsequently transferred three payments into the accused’s bank account but never received the loan, prompting her to lodge a police report after realising she had been scammed.
Investigations later confirmed that the bank account belonged to the accused, who admitted receiving the transactions but failed to provide a reasonable explanation as to why the money was in his account.
He was also found to have knowingly allowed his bank account details to be used by a third party, which was then utilised to facilitate the scam.
The accused was arrested in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, on March 2, 2026, following police investigations.
In mitigation, Sufi pleaded for leniency, telling the court that he was desperate for money and had been promised a loan.
He claimed he was unaware that his bank account would be misused and had travelled from Peninsular Malaysia to Kuching to attend the proceedings.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Fauzultfi Suriani prosecuted the case while Sufi was unrepresented.
