Man fined RM500 for unlawfully possessing RM1,000 in account

KUCHING: A man was fined RM500, in default two weeks’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Wednesday (Sept 11) for unlawfully possessing RM1,000 in his personal account last April.

Muhammad Nazri Aziz, 21, from Kampung Semera Ulu, Sadong Jaya, pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 37(1) of the Minor Offences Ordinance of Sarawak 1958 before Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali.

According to the charge, he had the money deposited into his account from a bank on Jalan Matang around 11.40am on April 23.

Based on the case facts, on the day of the incident, the complainant received a message on WhatsApp from a friend named Safwan asking to borrow RM1,000.

The sender requested the money be transferred to an account under the accused’s name.

The complainant realised he had been scammed when he saw a post on Facebook showing a police report made by Safwan, stating that his WhatsApp account had been hacked.

The complainant then lodged a police report for further action and investigation, leading to the arrest of the accused.

The investigation revealed that RM1,000 had been transferred into the accused’s personal account without a reasonable explanation.

The case was prosecuted by prosecuting officer ASP Arman Ibrahim while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.