By Zaki Salleh
Photo: IPK Perak
IPOH: A group of men has been arrested, suspected of being involved in the crime of stealing telecommunications cables on Jalan Keliling, Taman Canning here.
Perak Police Chief, Datuk Azizi Mat Aris, stated that the arrests were the result of public information and a police operation.
He explained that the police received a complaint from residents on Jalan Perlis who had seen an orange four-wheel-drive vehicle opening a manhole in the road and pulling out cables.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at around 2:30 a.m.
“The complainant contacted the police, and when the suspects realized the complainant’s presence, they fled in a blue Axia and a white Myvi,” he said.
Following this, the police arrested six Indian men, along with a Sikh man and a Malay man, aged 18 to 36, in the Kampung Bharu area for further investigation.
“Police checks also revealed that the seven detainees had criminal and drug records,” he added in a statement.
Several tools used for stealing cables and a four-wheel-drive vehicle were also seized.
The case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment, fines, or both if convicted.
Azizi further noted that as of August this year, the Perak Police have opened 247 investigation papers related to cable thefts involving telecommunications companies and Tenaga Nasional Berhad, and have arrested 287 suspects.
Of these, 76 cases have been charged, while the remainder are still under investigation.
The Ipoh district recorded the highest number of investigation papers with 67, followed by Hilir Perak (24) and Batu Gajah (23).
