Parcel scam case to be further mentioned on March 1
Posted on February 22, 2012, Wednesday
MIRI: Miri Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday fixed March 1 this year for further mention of a case where a foreigner was involved in a parcel scam.
The 30-year-old suspect from Nigeria who pleaded not guilty has been granted RM25,000 bail in two local sureties. His international passport was impounded.
According to the facts of the case, in April 2011, the 49-year victim from Miri befriended a lady named Anwar Qasim through a social network.
In December, Anwar was said to have sent a parcel to the victim, who subsequently received a phone call from a man calling himself David Puke from a courier service, informing him that the parcel had arrived in Kuala Lumpur. But the victim needs to pay RM29,270 for the cost of sending the parcel.
The victim paid the amount into a bank account number 161118954820 purportedly belonging to Lusi Anak Tanggi on Jan 16, this year.
The victim was then asked to collect the parcel from a lodge in Putra Jaya where he was met by two men – David Puke and another man, said to be a representative from the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
They told the victim the parcel had been detained by the embassy as it contained a large amount of money, so the victim had to pay RM60,000 more to get it released.
When he said he had no money, the suspect asked for RM30,000. He agreed and went back to Miri. While he was in Miri, the suspect frequently phoned him for prompt payment which he obliged.
After realising that he had been cheated, the victim lodged a police report. The suspect was arrested at the same lodge by police personnel from Sepang, Selangor on Jan 31 this year.
The suspect was brought to court and fined RM10,000 or three months’ imprisonment under Section 15(1) of the Immigration Act for overstaying.
He is still in jail after failing to pay the fine.
He had been identified as the accused in the parcel cheating case, an offence punishable under Section 420 of the Penal Code, for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
The offender could be imprisoned for not less than one year and not more than 10 years with whipping, and also liable to a fine.
