PETALING JAYA: A construction worker previously charged with kidnapping a Palestinian man was sentenced to three years in prison by the Kuala Lumpur High Court today for abducting and confining the man at a chalet four years ago.
Justice Arief Emran Arifin imposed the sentence on Edy Ko'im Said, 46, after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of abducting and confining the man.
The court ordered the father of three to begin serving his prison sentence today, Bernama reported.
According to the alternative charge, Edy Ko'im was accused of forcibly abducting the 31-year-old victim with the intention of secretly and unlawfully confining him at 10.40pm on Sept 28, 2022.
He was charged under Section 365 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years and also provides for a fine.
Police rescued the Palestinian man at a chalet in Hulu Langat, Selangor. He was found with his hands and feet bound with cable ties.
Deputy public prosecutor Mahadhir Khairudin called for a deterrent sentence.
Defence counsel Kelvinder Singh Sidhu urged the court to impose the minimum prison term, stating that his client was supporting his wife and three children.
The trial of seven other accused charged with kidnapping the same victim continued today. They are Tengku Arif Bongsu Hamid, 45, Naziree Mustapha, 45, Faizull Hardey Isa, 46, Iqmal Abdul Rahis, 31, Zaidi Zain, 60, Nidarahayu Zainal, 40, and Raibafie Amdan, 45.
According to the charge, all the accused had acted with a common intention to detain the victim so as to obtain a reward in exchange for secret information on developing and deactivating computer software used to hack mobile phones.
They were charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code. If convicted, they face a prison term of between 30 and 40 years and whipping.
Apart from the kidnapping case, Tengku Arif, Nidarahayu and her husband, Raibafie, face 19 money laundering charges involving more than RM250,000 under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
On July 10, 2025, six men were sentenced to five years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to alternative charges of abducting and confining the same victim.
They were Norakmal Hassan, 46, Azwan Jamaludin, 42, Dody Junaidi, 47, Sufian Saly, 28, Tengku Hazarul Ismail Hamid, 54, and Muhammad al Hatim Fauzi, 28.