A woman and two Sri Lankan nationals are among three individuals charged today in the sessions court in Klang, Malaysia, for allegedly arranging the smuggling of another Sri Lankan national last month.
G Santhiya Darshini, 27, and Janarthanan Appupillai, 46, both Malaysians, along with Vtheewaran Palani, 48, a Sri Lankan national, appeared before Judge Mohd Sabri Ismail. They acknowledged the charges read to them in Tamil but did not enter a plea, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The trio is accused of jointly organizing the smuggling of a Sri Lankan migrant at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 on July 10. They face charges under Section 26C of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007, combined with Section 34 of the Penal Code. Conviction could lead to up to 15 years in prison, a fine, or both.
In the same court, 21-year-old Sri Lankan national Antany Ranjan was charged with possessing a fake passport in another person’s name to facilitate migrant smuggling at the KLIA international departure gate on July 10. His charge falls under Section 26E of the Atipsom Act, carrying a penalty of seven to 15 years imprisonment, a fine up to RM500,000, or both.
No pleas were recorded for any accused due to High Court jurisdiction. Bail was not offered by Deputy Public Prosecutors Anisah Pisol and Norhidayah Abdullah Sani, who requested the cases be transferred to Shah Alam High Court. The court approved the transfer.
Santhiya, Janarthanan, and Vtheewaran were represented by lawyers, while Antany Sujan appeared without legal representation.
