KOTA BHARU, May 26 (Bernama) -- Kelantan police today confirmed that the actual amount of gold demanded in ransom by four suspects in a kidnapping and extortion case involving a jewellery shop owner in Palekbang, Tumpat was 80 kilogrammes (kg), with an estimated value of RM40 million and not 30kg according to earlier reports.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said they were informed of this by the 44-year-old victim in a statement to the police.
“The investigation also found that the suspects had been blackmailing the victim, who hails from Tumpat, for a long time.
“The victim claimed that the suspects had been demanding protection money for some time, but was too afraid to report it to the police due to concerns including the safety of his family," he said when contacted today.
He added that the victim also claimed to have handed over cash and jewellery worth millions of ringgit to the suspects over time.
“The investigation revealed that this case primarily involved extortion and escalated into a kidnapping because the victim refused to give (any more) money or gold as demanded by the suspects,” he explained.
On May 20, a viral video clip showed the victim's vehicle being blocked and was forcibly taken away in a grey Suzuki Swift but was later released.
-- BERNAMA
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