KUCHING: A 23-year-old man was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and one caning by the Magistrate’s Court here, today, for misusing an ATM debit card belonging to a foreigner.
The accused Fitri Awliya Mohamad pleaded guilty to the charge which was read before Magistrate Zaiton Anuar.
According to the charges, he is alleged to have used the ATM debit card belonging to the 31-year-old Dutch victim to buy cigarettes worth RM17.40 at a 24-hour convenience store, Jalan Satok, at around 2.44am, on September 11.
Therefore, the accused is charged according to Section 403 of the Penal Code which carries a prison sentence of not less than six months and not more than five years and caning and can be fined, if convicted.
According to the facts of the case, on September 11, the victim made a police report about his wallet missing at an entertainment center in Jalan Wayang.
On September 13, the victim again filed a police report when he learned that his debit card was used to make purchases at a 24-hour convenience store in Jalan Satok after receiving a notification on his smartphone.
Thereon, the accused was finally arrested by the police on September 22 at Jalan Datuk Paduka Sitom at around 2.15pm.
As a result of the investigation, a check at the convenience store found that the accused had entered the store and bought a pack of Dunhill brand cigarettes using the victim’s bank card for RM17.40.
In addition to that, the accused also knew about the complainant’s wallet because there was a driver’s license and did not return the wallet and instead used the victim’s ATM card to purchase cigarettes.
The prosecution of the case was handled by Prosecuting Officer Inspector Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
