SIBU: A man was charged today under Section 302 of the Penal Code with the murder of two Indonesian women in Daro last month.
Ahmad Robin will face mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
The 31-year-old accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge, and remained silent when the charge was read out against him in the High Court here.
According to the first charge, he allegedly caused the death of an Indonesian Pandang Sarang around 11am at a palm oil plantation in Daro on Feb 11.
For the second charge, he allegedly killed Muli Laha, also an Indonesian, on the same date at another oil palm plantation in Daro at 11 pm.
It is learnt that the bodies were discovered at RC Dermaga Sungai Samong in Daro on Feb 12 and Feb 14.
Another woman, identified as Tene, who was also attacked by the accused, survived.
The accused was arrested at Jalan Sentral Daro at 3.30 pm on Feb 12.
The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor Dona Liyanna Sabariah Azmi, immediately called the husbands of the two victims to testify.
The men will bring the bodies of their wives to Indonesia for burial.
Sijaya, 50, who is the husband of Pandang, told the court, through an interpreter, that at about 7.20 am on Feb 11, he was informed by his wife that she was going out with Mulia and Tene in a car driven by the accused to Daro town to buy daily necessities.
He has worked for three years in an oil palm plantation owned by a company. He said he knew the accused by his nickname ‘Salleh’.
“At that time, Pandang brought with her RM2,500 cash. I know this because I counted the money and gave it to her. She also wore a gold chain and gold earrings,” he said.
Sijaya added the next morning at 7 am, he and Erro Nyale, Muli’s husband, were worried about the safety of their wives, who had not returned home.
The two of them went around the plantations to look for their wives but to no avail.
At about 12.30 pm, they were informed by a van driver that police had found the body of one of the two women.
“At 9.30 am on Feb 17, I went to the Daro Hospital morgue to identify the body. She was still wearing the jewellery I bought her six months ago,” he stated.
Erro, however, did not testify as he said he was still mentally disturbed by the death of his wife.
Meanwhile, the trial will resume on March 25. Ahmad was represented by counsel Ben Lau.