LENGGONG: A labourer was once again sentenced to imprisonment and caning by the Magistrate’s Court here today on two charges of eKasih assistance fraud.
Muhammad Halmi Ismail, 49, was sentenced to 42 months in prison and five strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to both charges before Magistrate Mohd Shazmeer Zamhari.
The sentences were ordered to run concurrently with the previous terms imposed by the Magistrate’s Courts in Alor Setar and Ipoh.
Muhammad Halmi was accused of cheating two men, aged 62 and 73, at a bus station and a bank in Kuala Kangsar on July 24 and Oct 19 last year, by inducing them to hand over RM450 each for the registration of non-existent eKasih accounts.
He was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which is punishable by imprisonment of between one and 10 years, with caning and a fine, upon conviction.
During the proceedings, deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Fahmi Kamaluddin requested the court to impose a stiff sentence, while the unrepresented accused pleaded for leniency due to family responsibilities.
Yesterday, the Ipoh Magistrate’s Court sentenced the accused to a total of 21 years and two months imprisonment and 14 strokes of the cane on 13 charges related to eKasih fraud.
