High Court sentences construction worker to three years in prison for Palestinian abduction linked to hacking secrets
A construction worker who was previously charged with kidnapping a Palestinian man was sentenced to three years in prison by the High Court here today ...
Source: Malay Mail · October 12, 2026 at 9:31 PM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR HIGH COURT, HULU LANGAT, SELANGOR, 13 OCTOBER 2026 —
A construction worker was sentenced to three years in prison by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of abducting and confining a Palestinian man at a chalet in Hulu Langat, Selangor, four years ago.
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Justice Arief Emran Arifin imposed the sentence on Edy Ko'im Said, 46, and ordered him to begin serving the term immediately, according to a Bernama report.
The alternative charge, brought under Section 365 of the Penal Code, accused Edy Ko'im of forcibly abducting the 31-year-old victim at 10.40pm on September 28, 2022, with the intention of secretly and unlawfully confining him. The provision carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years and also provides for a fine. Police rescued the Palestinian man at the chalet, where he was found with his hands and feet bound with cable ties.
Deputy public prosecutor Mahadhir Khairudin called for a deterrent sentence. Defence counsel Kelvinder Singh Sidhu urged the court to impose the minimum prison term, stating that his client was supporting his wife and three children. Edy Ko'im had previously been charged with kidnapping the same victim before the alternative charge was substituted.
The trial of seven other accused charged with kidnapping the same victim continued on Monday. They are Tengku Arif Bongsu Hamid, 45, Naziree Mustapha, 45, Faizull Hardey Isa, 46, Iqmal Abdul Rahis, 31, Zaidi Zain, 60, Nidarahayu Zainal, 40, and Raibafie Amdan, 45.
According to the charge, all the accused had acted with a common intention to detain the victim so as to obtain a reward in exchange for secret information on developing and deactivating computer software used to hack mobile phones. They were charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code. If convicted, they face a prison term of between 30 and 40 years and whipping.
Apart from the kidnapping case, Tengku Arif, Nidarahayu and her husband, Raibafie, face 19 money laundering charges involving more than RM250,000 under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
On July 10, 2025, six men were sentenced to five years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to alternative charges of abducting and confining the same victim. They were Norakmal Hassan, 46, Azwan Jamaludin, 42, Dody Junaidi, and three others whose names were not specified in the available report. The proceedings against the remaining seven accused remain ongoing.
Related: Kuala Lumpur High Court · Edy Ko'im Said