Crime & Courts

Student faces cheating charges for allegedly misusing donation funds

KUBANG PASU: A 23-year-old public university student, recently released on police bail, is expected to be charged with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

The charges stem from allegations he deceived organisations into raising funds for his tuition fees, then misused the money.

"Investigations are thorough," confirmed Kubang Pasu police chief Superintendent Rodzi Abu Hassan.

"The suspect is expected to face cheating charges in the Jitra magistrate's court soon," he told reporters today.

Rodzi said to date, only one police report was lodged in Kubang Pasu involving the suspect.

On Thursday, the Jitra magistrate's court granted a two-day remand order to assist further investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code after the student's arrest a day earlier.

Police opened an investigation paper after Cancer Survivors Malaysia (CSM) chairman Zurani Kamal lodged a police report against the suspect.

She claimed the student had misled CSM and others by claiming his family was facing financial hardship.

Identifying himself as "Lim", the student reached out to Zuraini, seeking help to raise RM5,000 to avoid expulsion. Moved by his story, Zuraini shared his appeal on Facebook, along with his bank details.

The campaign raised RM1,176, but Zuraini later discovered from a Penang NGO that the student had allegedly collected over RM30,000, reportedly used for online gambling.

Following his remand, two additional police reports were lodged. These reports allege the student deceived other organisations with the same scheme.

Eng Hiap Boon, a representative of a charitable organisation, told the 'New Straits Times' that reports were filed in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, and Teluk Intan, Perak.

On Friday, it was reported that the suspect had in April wrote a letter admitting to his deceitful act and apologised to a Chinese daily.

In the letter, he had also confessed of deceiving other charitable organisations and well-wishers of some RM30,000 to pay off his gambling debt. It includes a profuse apology and a pledge to be exposed to the public if he ever repeated the same mistake again.

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