26yo Malaysian jailed 2 years & caned after admitting cheating, theft from two retirees totalling US$44K
A 26-year-old plumber was jailed, fined and caned after admitting to cheating and theft involving two retirees, with losses of RM180,000. Police believe he may be linked to a wider group targeting elderly victims across states.
- A 26-year-old plumber admitted to cheating and theft involving two retirees, with losses totalling RM180,000 (approximately US$44,499).
- The magistrate imposed two years’ imprisonment, a RM5,000 fine, and one stroke of the cane, with sentences to run separately.
- Police believe the offender is linked to a wider syndicate accused of luring elderly victims to banks across states.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: A Malaysian youth working as a plumber was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to two charges of cheating and theft involving two retired victims, with total losses amounting to RM180,000 (approximately US$44,499).
The accused, Chen Yong Jie (name transliterated), 26, admitted the charges when they were read before the magistrate’s court.
The offences were said to have occurred at two banks in Putrajaya on 21 July 2025 and 8 August 2025.
Magistrate Izzarina imposed a sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine of RM5,000, and one stroke of the cane.
The court ordered the sentences for the two charges to be carried out separately.
The magistrate ruled that the jail terms would take effect from the date of the accused’s arrest. In default of payment of the fine, Chen would serve an additional five months’ imprisonment.
According to the charge sheet, Chen was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Upon conviction, the offence carries a sentence of between one and 10 years’ imprisonment, whipping, and a fine.
He also faced a second charge under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft. The provision allows for a sentence of up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, with repeat offenders liable to imprisonment, a fine, or whipping.
Alleged targeting of elderly victims
Court proceedings indicated that the two charges involved deceptive schemes targeting elderly victims, who were persuaded to withdraw large sums of money from their bank accounts before handing the cash to the perpetrators.
Police believe Chen may be part of a group linked to other cases involving similar tactics, including an incident reported in September 2025 involving a 72-year-old woman from Bentong, Pahang.
In that separate case, the elderly woman, identified as Zhang Ruifang, was allegedly taken from her home and driven to another state to withdraw money before being abandoned.
According to a report by Sin Chew Daily, the incident occurred on the afternoon of 3 September 2025, when two young men arrived at Zhang’s residence in Bentong and took her away.
Possible link to Sept 2025 Bentong elderly abduction case
CCTV footage retrieved from Zhang’s home showed a black Toyota SUV parked outside between 12.47pm and 12.58pm on the day of the incident. Two men were seen in the vehicle.
One of the men, wearing a blue shirt, was captured on camera guiding Zhang into the black SUV. Zhang, who lives alone, was reported missing shortly afterwards.
Her eldest daughter, Lin Liqing, and family members launched a search when they discovered Zhang had not returned home.
They also posted appeals on social media to locate her.
Eldery abandoned in Rawang, Selangor
Zhang was eventually found the following morning, on 4 September 2025, in Rawang, Selangor. She was reported to have been left on the street after the suspects withdrew money from her bank account.
Authorities believe the Bentong case may be linked to the same group involved in the offences admitted by Chen, although investigations are ongoing and no formal consolidation of charges has been announced.
In another incident described to investigators, a retired woman was targeted in a similar manner on the morning of 25 July last year.
Separate welfare voucher scam foiled by bank staff
According to information provided to police, the victim had just left a supermarket at about 11.30am when she was approached by two unknown men.
The men allegedly told her that she was eligible to receive a bank-issued senior citizen welfare voucher worth RM500. They then offered to assist her in claiming the benefit.
The woman was later taken to a bank in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. After giving her RM500, the men allegedly persuaded her to withdraw her own savings to qualify for a higher-value voucher.
After learning that the woman had substantial savings, the suspects reportedly drove her back to her home in Taman United, Kuala Lumpur, to collect her bank passbook.
She was then taken to a bank in Putrajaya, where the men allegedly claimed that withdrawing RM100,000 would entitle her to a welfare voucher of the same value.
Believing the claim, the woman signed the withdrawal documents and handed the RM100,000 in cash to the two men, according to investigators.
The suspects later brought her to another bank along Ipoh Road, Kuala Lumpur, and attempted to persuade her to withdraw an additional RM200,000.
During that attempt, one suspect remained in the car while the other accompanied the woman into the bank. The plan was disrupted when bank staff requested identification documents.
The suspect immediately left the premises. Bank staff subsequently contacted the woman’s daughter and halted the RM200,000 withdrawal.
Police sources said one of the men involved in that case has seven prior criminal records, including one related to a Section 420 investigation, and was previously listed as a wanted suspect.
Malaysian police have recently arrested several individuals believed to be involved in these cases, as investigations continue into whether the offences form part of an organised syndicate targeting elderly victims.
