{
  "id": 5034694,
  "title": "Man begins 5-year jail term for cheating 202 people of umrah funds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/man-begins-5-year-jail-term-for-cheating-202-people-of-umrah-funds-5034694",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T06:17:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/02/man-begins-5-year-jail-term-for-cheating-202-people-of-umrah-funds"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya has upheld the conviction of former Raudhah Mawaddah Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd managing director Misbahalmunir Omar for cheating 202 people out of RM434,250. However, they have reduced his original 10-year jail term to a five-year sentence, to commence immediately. A three-judge panel, consisting of Justices Azman Abdullah, Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, and Dean Wayne Daly, unanimously upheld the conviction but granted his appeal against the severity of the sentence. The prosecution successfully proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt, and the court found no reason to challenge the magistrate's findings concerning the credibility of the witnesses. Meor also dismissed Misbahalmunir's objection to the charges, stating they were not defective and provided sufficient details for him to mount a defense. The court affirmed that the charges were framed in line with the Criminal Procedure Code, and any defects, if present, could be remedied under Section 422. The trial court had also considered Misbahalmunir's defense before pronouncing him guilty. Additionally, the court issued a warrant of committal for Misbahalmunir, who was already on bail while his appeal was being processed. His legal representative was G Ravi Shankar, while deputy public prosecutor Siti Rafidah Zainuddin argued on behalf of the prosecution. Misbahalmunir was found guilty of cheating umrah consultant and pilgrimage guide Amzari Halim. Amzari had collected payments from 202 participants for an umrah and Egypt tour package, with individual payments ranging from RM2,000 to RM36,600. The transactions occurred between November 2, 2015, and January 28, 2016, in Kedah, Johor, and Selangor. The funds were deposited into accounts belonging to Misbahalmunir's relatives and employees, as well as companies registered in his family members' names. The prosecution claimed that the money was collected without Amzari's knowledge that the company had ceased operations. The case emerged after Amzari reported the incident to the police on January 30, 2016, after discovering that the flight schedules and tickets for January 29 and 30 were invalid and non-existent. Most of the victims were tahfiz students and senior citizens, two of whom have since passed away.",
  "summary": "Court of Appeal dismisses Misbahalmunir Omar’s appeal against his conviction over losses of RM434,250 suffered by the victims about a decade ago.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Man begins 5-year jail term for cheating 202 people of umrah funds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/man-begins-5-year-jail-term-for-cheating-202-people-of-umrah-funds",
        "published": "2026-09-02T06:17:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}