Housewife Chan Wan Kooi and her accomplices planned to kidnap her husband to demand a ransom of more than 4.4 million USD.
Sheet Inquirer On November 12, it was announced that Chan Wan Kooi, 57 years old, was indicted for plotting to kidnap her 59-year-old husband. Chan’s accomplices include businessman Chong Shih Ming, 46 years old, two Vietnamese citizens Luong Van Tung, 39 years old, and Tran Van Chung, 29 years old.
During the trial on November 10, Chan nodded after listening to the interpreter read the charges in Mandarin.
The group of suspects allegedly committed the crime at a house near Jalan Straits View in Johor Bahru city at around 5:00 a.m. on October 13, with the purpose of demanding ransom from the victim. If convicted, the suspects will face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and caning.
Suspect Chan Wan Kooi. Image: ANN
Jagjit Singh Bant Singh, Ms. Chan’s lawyer, proposed that his client be released on bail because he had been detained for a long time and was suffering from heart disease and needed daily medication.
“Mrs. Chan has three children from 28 to 36 years old and 4 grandchildren from 4 to 9 years old. She is the one who takes care of the children, is also the director of two companies and has a permanent address in Johor Bahru. Completely There is no possibility that she will flee. My client is willing to surrender her passport and present herself at the police station when necessary,” said lawyer Jagjit.
However, the judge rejected the request and scheduled the next trial for November 17.
In addition to Chan and three accomplices, police also identified dozens of related suspects and arrested 14 people, issuing an arrest warrant for one person. The suspects demanded RM30 million (about $6.7 million) after kidnapping the victim, which was later reduced to RM20 million (more than $4.4 million). Police recovered more than RM7 million (over $1.5 million) of this.