Indonesian jailed, caned for robbing college student in KL

A 20-year-old Indonesian man was given 30 months in jail and three strokes of the cane by a Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Monday after pleading guilty to stealing a handbag from a 25-year-old college student in November last year.

Muhammad Saiful Muhammud Zahri, who was unemployed, robbed Amirah Khalid, who was eating at the time, of her black handbag which was placed on the table at an Arab restaurant in Sri Petaling at about 2:30 am on November 14, 2018, the China Press reported.

The court heard that the man was not armed during the robbery. He was later caught by members of the public who gave chase. Pleading for a lenient sentence, the accused told the judge he needed to take care of his family.

However, on the grounds that robbery was a crime and it affected a woman in this case, the man was sentenced to 30 months in jail and three strokes of the cane, and the jail term was ordered to run from the date of his arrest.

If convicted of robbery under Section 392 of the Penal Code, offenders could face up to 14 years’ imprisonment with a fine or caning.