Four get death for kidnap

SHAH ALAM: A security firm manager ganged up with three colleagues to abduct a married couple for a RM5,000 ransom. An accomplice who is still at large even raped the wife.

They will be paying for the crime with their lives.

High Court judge Noor Azian Shaari found security manager P. Thinagaran, 27, and guards S. Arumugam, 24, C. Krishnakumar, 24, and V. K. Santirasagaran, 32, guilty after ruling they had failed to raise reasonable doubts in their defence.

The four men were charged together with one C. Manimavanan (who is currently on trial at a separate court for a similar charge) and another man still at large with the abduction of the husband and wife, both 29, at Jalan Merak, Pusat Bandar Puchong at 4.30am on March 4, 2011.

Justice Noor Azian said a death sentence was befitting the crime although the court could exercise its discretion and mete out a lifetime imprisonment sentence as provided under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961.

Although a fifth man is still at large and responsible for raping the wife, the four accused were there and witnessed the incident. They even recorded it on their handphones.

There was violence in this case and something that the court must consider in sentencing.

“How would you feel if your wife was raped? It will leave a scar. I hereby find it fitting for the four accused to be punished by death,” she said yesterday.

During trial, the court heard testimonies that the couple went to the scene to meet a man known as “Shan”.

As the husband shook Shan’s hand, he was pulled into a car. The husband shouted and told his wife to run but she too was dragged into the same car.

The victims testified that the four men, whom they have met before the incident and recognised, were in the car and guarded them throughout the ordeal.

They were taken to a house in Pulau Carey where they were confined separately.

Shan raped the wife, who was menstruating at the time. He and Krishnakumar later beat the husband.

Shan then contacted the wife’s mother and asked for a RM5,000 ransom.

Negotiation took place and the mother deposited RM1,500 in two transactions into Manimavanan’s bank account before her daughter and son-in-law were released later that night.

DPP Muhamad Asyraf Md Kamal prosecuted. The four accused were represented by lawyers V. Thiru Kumar and Amir Faliq.