GEORGE TOWN: Four men were jointly charged at the magistrate's court here today with abduction and wrongful confinement of an Indonesian woman early this month.
R. Narindran, 30, M. Areveen Raj, 28, R. Jayruban, 25, and Mohammad Syafiq Segnar Abdullah, 29, claimed trial to the charge which was read out to them before Magistrate Siti Nurul Suhaila Baharin.
The four, along with another person still at large, are alleged to have forcibly abducted the 41-year-old Indonesian woman with the intent to wrongfully confine her at the Palma Laguna Waterpark Condominium, Jalan Baru, Prai.
They allegedly committed the offence along Jalan Kelawai here between 8pm on Dec 5 and 11.45am on Dec 7.
They are charged under Section 365 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Atikah Asharaf Ali prosecuted while the accused were represented by lawyer K. Mahendran.
Nurul Atikah did not offer bail and said she would leave it to the court to decide on the matter.
She, however, said strict conditions must be imposed.
Mahendran appealed for bail to be granted to all the accused, stating that they would comply with any conditions set by the court.
"Accused number one, Narindran, is a contractor earning RM1,800 per month. He is married and has children while Areveen Raj, who is single, works as a lorry driver earning RM2,000.
"Jayruban is also a lorry driver who supports his mother while Mohammad Syafiq Segnar works as a contractor and supports his mother and his sick sister's child," he said.
The court set bail at RM8,000 with one surety each and imposed additional conditions.
"All the accused are prohibited from contacting the victim and witnesses. They must report to the nearest police station monthly until the case is resolved.
"If they fail to comply with these conditions, the bail will be revoked," the magistrate said.
The court fixed Jan 21 next year for mention and submission of documents.