Housewife faces 31 cheating charges over non-existent travel packages

MIRI: A magistrate’s court here yesterday set Jan 23 next year for case management of a housewife accused of cheating 10 individuals involving RM192,100 by offering them non- existent travel packages yesterday.

The accused was freed on a RM14,000 bail with 10 local sureties while awaiting the date.

For all the charges, Lenny Valerie Gundu Tangai, 37, from Jalan Putera Perdana, Telipok, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of between one and ten years, whipping as well as a fine upon conviction.

Fourteen charges were filed against the accused in Magistrate’s Court 1 and another 17 charges in Magistrate’s Court 2.

In Magistrate’s Court 1, for the first charge, Lenny was accused of cheating Rissin Sintan, 59, by deceiving him about a non- existent travel package which led the latter to transfer RM6,000 to her (accused) account. She allegedly committed the offence at 1.09pm on Sept 19, 2017 at a lot in Jalan Pujut 1B here.

For the second charge, Lenny was accused of cheating the same victim by deceiving him to hand over RM7,600 to her as deposit for the non- existent travel package. She allegedly committed the offence at 10.04pm on Feb 12, 2017 in Jalan Pujut 1B.

Magistrate’s Court 1 also heard that the accused had cheated Magdalene Madai three times on Nov 21, 2017, Dec 9, 2017 and Dec 14, 2017 in connection with a nonexistent travel package, involving RM11,800.

The accused was also charged with cheating May Dan by offering her a non- existent travel package to Cairo, Egypt, which led the victim to bank in RM20,000 into the accused’s account.

Lenny allegedly committed the offence at 12.37pm on Jan 16 this year at a lot in Jalan Jelutong, Lutong Baru here.

The accused was said to have also cheated four other individuals – Martin Ganjar, Doris Emang Lah @ Doris Usun Emang, Catherine Unyang Ului and Payong Ludan – using the same non- existent package, between Sept 5, 2017 and Dec 2, 2017 involving RM54,700.

After hearing the accused’s not- guilty plea, magistrate Kasyfurrahman Abang Ahmad set Jan 23 next year for management of the case.

For the charges heard in Magistrate’s Court 1, Lenny was ordered to be freed on RM6,000 bail with two local sureties.

Meanwhile, in Magistrate’s Court 2, Lenny faced 17 charges of deceiving seven individuals about non- existent travel packages involving RM92,100. She allegedly committed the offences between June 23, 2017 and Jan 4, 2018.

Magistrate Zuraini Ali Musa also set Jan 23 for the management of the case while the accused was ordered to be freed on RM8,000 bail with eight local sureties while awaiting the date.

Inspector Mohd Khairi prosecuted while the accused was represented by defence counsel Louis Jarau.