Tears in court as cabbie meets Kajang kidnap boy's family

The Star, Friday October 16, 2015

by nicholas cheng

KAJANG: There was not a dry eye in the courthouse as two families, tied by a cruel kidnapping and an unconditional good deed, met for the first time to witness taxi driver Hanizan Mohamed Radzi walk out a free man. 

Hanizan had been remanded by the police after he showed up in front of the house of a five-year-old who was kidnapped in Sungai Chua, and returned the boy to his family last week. 

The taxi driver said he had found the boy wandering around the street after recognising the child from viral social media posts. 

But this made Hanizan suspect No. 1 for the police, who later cleared him of any crime, and was seen apologising profusely to the 41-year-old at the Kajang court complex.

Hanizan, who was freed at about 10.30am Friday, said he had no regrets.

"I did all this because I did it for the community. Don't care about race. I don't regret helping that boy. I will always help. 

"I want to thank my family for their support throughout my time in lockup, though I was treated well by the police.

"I admit I made a mistake by not making a police report. I hope this will not make people afraid of working with the police," said Hanizan.

Emotions ran high as the family of the kidnapped boy and Hanizan's family met here. 

Though some from Hanizan's family wanted compensation for the trouble that had befallen them, the family's patriarch said there was nothing to forgive or ask forgiveness for.

"I am proud of my son. I am happy he is finally free. I know my boy. When the news came out, I didn't believe it. He is not a bad person," said Hanizan's father, Mohamed Radzi Itam Ibrahim, 75.

Mohamed Radzi said he and his family, especially Hanizan’s teenage children, had been through a ringer of emotions made worse by deprecating social media comments against their loved over the past week.

Hanizan was arrested by police, along with three other men within 24 hours following the brazen kidnapping of the boy in front of his Sungai Chua kindergarten on Oct 9, which was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV).

The kidnappers had allegedly asked for a RM300,000 ransom in exchange for the boy.

Eight hours after the child was taken, Hanizan was seen driving the boy back to his home at about 5.35pm and handing him over to his family.

After nearly a week, police officially cleared him of involvement in the kidnapping, saying they found no links between Hanizan and the three other suspects.

He was released with a bond under Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The three others detained over the incident will be charged at the Kajang court Friday under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 for abduction, wrongful restraint or wrongful confinement for ransom.