KUALA LUMPUR: Two students from a Singapore university pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court on Tuesday (May 13) to staging a fake kidnapping to trick one of their mothers into paying a RM2.9mil ransom.

Zhang Runbao, 23, and Ye Yingxi, 18, both Chinese nationals, were jointly charged with attempting to deceive Ye's mother, Cheng Zhiwen, by making a phone call and sharing a video purporting to show Ye being abducted.

In the video, Ye appeared half-naked, with his hands tied, mouth sealed with black duct tape, neck being strangled, body stepped on, and his face splashed with water.

They are alleged to have demanded a ransom of five million Yuan (approximately RM2.9mil) be transferred into a bank account in China. The acts were allegedly staged to dishonestly induce Cheng to remit the money.

The offence was allegedly committed at a hotel on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman here, between 11.44am and 9.15pm on May 2.

The charge was framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, read together with Sections 511 and 34, which provides a jail term of up to 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.

Both men also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge for the same offence under Section 417 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which carries a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both.

Judge Azrul Darus set May 27 for case mention and granted each accused bail of RM30,000 with two sureties. The court also ordered both to surrender their passports until the disposal of the case.

Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Radzuan appeared for the prosecution, while the two accused were represented by lawyers Ernie Sulastri Ahmad and Ramesh Sivakumar. – Bernama