Brothers get six months’ jail for stealing hearse in Port Klang amid pressure from loan sharks to pay off RM30,000 debt
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — Two brothers were sentenced to six months in jail by the Klang magistrates’ court after admitting to keeping a hearse stolen from a mosque last Saturday.
The court was told that Abdul Hamid Rizan, 27, and his brother, Faizal Rizan, 23, committed the crime in desperation to settle RM30,000 in debts owed to loan sharks.
Magistrate Amirul Asyraf Abd Rashid ordered the sentence to commence from their arrest date on January 25, according to a report published in Berita Harian.
The siblings, originally from Sabah, were charged with retaining a stolen van valued at RM30,000, belonging to a mosque in Kampung Telok Gong near Port Klang.
The offence occurred at the surau of an apartment in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, around 1.05am on January 15.
They were charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which provides for a jail term of six months to five years and a fine upon conviction.
The court heard that a 32-year-old complainant filed a police report on the theft of the hearse, which occurred between 2.30pm on January 17 and 7.45pm on January 21, estimating the loss at RM30,000.
On January 21, a witness spotted the brothers with the van, bearing fake registration numbers, outside a surau in Johor at 1.05am.
Investigations confirmed that the van was the same one reported missing from the mosque in Kampung Telok Gong.
Defence lawyer Mark Jeyakumar said the brothers committed the crime after being hounded by unlicensed moneylenders.
“They took the loan to support their wives, children, and two younger siblings aged 14 and 17,” Jeyakumar said.
He appealed for a good behaviour bond or minimal prison time.
“The two siblings work at an e-commerce warehouse. Hamid is the breadwinner for his wife and three children, while Faizal is married without children.
“Their parents have passed away. My clients apologise for the incident and promise not to repeat the offence,” the lawyer added.
Prosecuting officer Rabiul Awal Ishak urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a deterrent.
