KUALA LUMPUR: Two women in their 50s were charged in the Ampang Sessions Court here today (April 1) with armed robbery, in which they allegedly relieved a male victim of RM300,000 three weeks ago.
The accused, Zarina Sinin, 54, and Safiah Ibrahim, 59, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read before Judge Wan Mohd Norisham Wan Yaakob.
According to the charge, they, along with five other individuals, were accused of using objects resembling a pistol and pepper spray against the victim, 27, and stealing the cash from him.
The robbery was allegedly committed on the side of the road at G1, Taman Melawati in Ampang around 1pm on March 15.
Both women, who are unemployed, were charged under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Hakim Amir Abdul Hamid offered bail at RM15,000 each and requested that they report to the nearest police station every month.
However, lawyer Muhammad Fadhli M. Sutris, who represented Zarina, said the bail amount was too high and requested it be reduced to RM5,000.
"My client is not working and she relies on her children and savings to survive.
"The accused also fully cooperated with the police throughout the investigation and voluntarily appeared in court today. Therefore, there is no risk of the accused fleeing," the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, Safiah, who was not represented, appealed for minimum bail as she said that she also had no income and relied on her children's assistance.
Judge Wan Mohd Norisham set bail at RM7,000 for each accused with the additional requirement of reporting to the nearest police station twice a month.
The court set June 24 for next mention and for Safiah to appoint a lawyer.
Previously, it was reported that three women had been detained on suspicion of being involved in a gold-trading robbery case resulting in the loss of RM300,000.