GEORGE TOWN, Dec 1 — A businessman pleaded not guilty in the Sessions and Magistrates’ Courts here today to four counts of cheating and impersonating a policeman involving RM100,000 in losses.

V. Premantharan Pillai, 44, from Klang, Selangor entered the plea when the charges were read out to him before Judge Mohammad Khalid Ab. Karim and Magistrate R. Manomani.

In the Sessions Court, Premantharan was charged on two counts of deceiving a man and a woman by impersonating a police officer.

Both offences were committed at Taman Sungai Ara, Bayan Lepas between 4.05pm and 4.10pm on February 21, last year. The charges framed under Section 170 of the Penal Code, carries imprisonment of two years or a fine or both, upon conviction.

At the same court, he was charged with deceiving the same woman into handing over RM100,000, allegedly to get the woman’s husband off a drug conviction.

He was alleged to have committed the offence at two banks in the Barat Daya and Timur Laut districts between noon and 5pm from February 24 to 25 last year.

The charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code, provides for an imprisonment of up to 10 years and whipping and is liable to a fine, if found guilty.

Prematharan was allowed bail of RM7,000 with one surety for all the charges and to report to the nearest police station once a month until the disposal of the case. The court set January 10 for mention.

Meanwhile, at the Magistrates’ Court, Prematharan also claimed trial to a charge of impersonating an on-duty police inspector at the Timur Laut district police headquarters to deceive a victim at Maybank in Tun Abdul Razak Complex (Komtar) at 9.55pm on February 13 last year.

The charge was framed under Section 419 of the Penal Code, which provides a jail term of up to seven years or a fine or both.

Manomani allowed the accused bail of RM2,000 with one surety and ordered him to report to the nearest police station once a month. The court then fixed January 10 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Shahrezal Mohd Shukri and Nurnajihatul Idayu Mohd Azuyar prosecuted, while lawyer RSN Rayer represented the accused. — Bernama