Four men plead not guilty to Kulai house arson

Four men have pleaded not guilty in a Johor Bahru Sessions Court to charges of committing mischief by fire. The accused—Yap Tze Hong, 31, Muhammad Khairul Abd Bahrin, 27, Chen Jie Ming, 28, and Muhamad Amirul Eizlan Masrihan, 28—are alleged to have jointly set fire to a house occupied by Rohingya individuals in Kulai Besar on October 13.

The charges were brought under Section 436, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine. During the proceedings, the prosecution noted that while the first and fourth defendants cooperated during their arrest, the second and third defendants required forced detention by police.

The court granted bail for the defendants, with Yap and Chen released at RM8,000 each, while Muhamad Amirul and Muhammad Khairul were granted bail at RM10,000 each. The defendants were ordered to report to a police station monthly, surrender their passports to the court, and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses. The case has been rescheduled for mention on November 30.