Duo charged with disposing of gun used to kidnap Johor businessman

KOTA TINGGI: Two men have been charged at the Magistrate’s Court here with disposing of a gun that was used in the kidnap of a 59-year-old developer from Johor.

Tan Kuan Wei, 43, and Siow Boon Pin, 38, who work as a welder and scrap item collector, pleaded not guilty to the charge read out to them in Mandarin on Monday (Nov 4).

They allegedly disposed of an Italian-made pistol, 250 live rounds, a pair of handcuffs and a pair of keys at Farm Vacay Jalan Johor River in Kota Tinggi at around 4.15pm on Oct 26.

The duo were accused of disposing of the items to protect Chong Shih Ming, a 46-year-old businessman who was earlier charged at the Johor Baru Sessions Court under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961.

The charge against the duo was framed under Section 201 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with a maximum jail term of three years and a fine upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Ahmad Khairuddin Khalid and Foo Fang Leong represented the prosecution while the accused were unrepresented.

Tan requested for a lower bail amount as he earns RM2,000 as a welder. Siow, a scrap item collector, also asked for a lower bail.

Magistrate Nurkhalida Farhana Abu Bakar allowed bail at RM8,000 with one surety each and set Nov 25 for next mention.

The duo were also ordered to report to the nearest police station once a month, surrender their passports to the court and refrain from engaging witnesses.

Earlier on Monday, Chong and two Vietnamese nationals, Luong Van Tung, 39, and Tran Van Chung, 29, were charged with kidnapping the developer and demanding a RM20mil ransom.

They were said to have committed the offence at Jalan Straits View, Johor Baru around 5am on Oct 13 along with another suspect who is still at large.

On Monday, Vietnamese woman Nguyen Ngoc Ngan was charged at the Johor Baru Magistrate’s Court with the disposal of a vehicle that was used in the same kidnapping case.