Koay Boan Seng, 32, and Hoo Chee Chuan, 38, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out before magistrate Nadhratun Naiem Zainan.

They were charged, with two others still at large, with committing housebreaking by stealing the casino chips from the Twilight 3 room at Sky Casino Genting Highlands at 7.12am on Oct 28.

The two men were charged under Section 457 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Act, which provides for imprisonment of up to five years and a fine. If the offence includes theft, the prison term could be extended to 14 years, with a repeat offence also carrying a fine or whipping.

Deputy public prosecutor Zamharir Zuhid prosecuted while lawyer Kenny Tan represented the accused.

In mitigation arguments over bail, Tan said Koay was a contract worker earning RM1,800 a month, while Hoo earned RM2,000 a month as a farm worker.

The court set bail at RM8,000 in one surety for each accused and fixed Jan 10 next year for next mention of the case.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that police were tracking down five local men, including the ringleader, who pulled off what was believed to be the largest chip theft from the highlands resort.

Pahang police chief Yahaya Othman said police had arrested 10 suspects, including a Chinese national, aged between 30 and 59, in raids across Genting Highlands, Raub, Kuala Lumpur and Nilai between Oct 29 and Nov 1.