Huang Xiaonan, 22, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read in Mandarin before magistrate R Salini.

According to the charge sheet, the university student from Singapore was accused of abducting a 15-year-old Chinese girl with the intention of secretly confining her.

The alleged offence was committed at a budget hotel on Jalan Station here at 4.08pm on Nov 24.

The accused was charged under Section 365 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine upon conviction.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nur Ameerah Allaudeen requested the court to deny bail, citing the severity of the offence and the risk of the accused fleeing the country, given his status as a Chinese national.

The accused, represented by lawyer Goh Poh Gek, appealed for bail, arguing that he had cooperated throughout his detention and had no reason to flee as he has relatives residing in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai, who were willing to act as guarantors.

Magistrate Salini denied bail and set Jan 27 for the submission of documents.

Johor police chief M Kumar previously told newsmen that police had arrested a Chinese national and rescued a 15-year-old girl, who was believed to have been taken to Kuantan on Nov 26.

He said police received a report from the girl’s father, a 48-year-old Chinese national, regarding his daughter’s disappearance after she failed to attend school in Singapore on Nov 25.

The girl was believed to have been abducted by an unknown individual.

Investigations revealed that the teenager had entered Malaysia via the Woodlands checkpoint in Singapore on Nov 24.