PETALING JAYA: Two men were charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with the murder of a 24-year-old salesgirl, who was found dead with her hands and legs bound last month.
Information technology officer K. Kaarthiek, 26, and lorry driver A. Hariprasanth, 23, faced the joint charge before magistrate Shahril Anuar Ahmad Mustapa.
Standing handcuffed in the dock, the bespectacled Kaarthiek, dressed in a white shirt, and Hariprasanth, in a white long-sleeved T-shirt, both nodded and said they understood the charge after it was read to them.
According to the charge, the two allegedly murdered Saraswathy Chan Chee Keong between 6.18am on Oct 24 and 2.17am on Oct 25 at Jalan Orkid, near the Blue Water Estate roundabout in Seri Kembangan.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of not less than 30 years and up to 40 years.
If the death penalty is not imposed, the accused must be caned not less than 12 times.
No plea was recorded as murder charges fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
Throughout the proceedings, both accused appeared visibly distressed, keeping their heads bowed.
Kaarthiek was seen wiping away tears with his shirt sleeve.
The pair was escorted into the courtroom by officers from the Serdang police headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Department.
Deputy public prosecutor Lim Leong Hui requested a mention date for the submission of post-mortem, DNA, and forensic reports.
The court fixed Jan 16 for mention.
Yesterday, Serdang police chief Assistant Commissioner Muhamad Farid Ahmad said Selangor State Prosecution Director’s Office instructed that the duo be charged jointly for murder.
Police had identified the woman found on Oct 29 with her hands and legs bound near the Blue Water Estate roundabout as Saraswathy.
The grisly discovery was made about 3.45pm when a man contacted the Serdang police station to report finding a woman’s naked body with her hands and legs bound.
Saraswathy, who worked as a salesgirl in Ampang and a convenience store in Bukit Bintang, was reported missing on Oct 25 by her family.
That same day, her elder sister, Moganes, posted a video on social media seeking the public’s help to locate her after she failed to return home in Taman Casterfield, Sungai Besi.
In the video, Moganes said Saraswathy had received a phone call asking her to step outside the house to collect a parcel.
Since then, five people have been arrested to facilitate investigations.
Three male suspects, aged between 24 and 30, included the victim’s ex-boyfriend and her adoptive brother.
The fourth suspect, a woman in her 30s, is the victim’s housemate at their home in Taman Castlefield.
The latest arrest involved a local man on Nov 5.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
