5 Malaysian Police Masterminding Cable Theft Over The Last 1 Year, 1.2 Tons Of Copper Confiscated

JAKARTA - Five Malaysian Police personnel were declared masterminds of cable theft cases in the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor areas over the past year.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the five suspects consisted of two deputies and three koprals, serving at the District Police Headquarters (IPD) and police offices in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Hussein said the five were part of 16 suspects in a "Syndiket Mulia" gang that specializes in cable theft that had been detained since being arrested at a number of locations in Cheras and Kajang on May 22.

"Investigations found that they were 'scoring' some police information about preventing crimes and so on. They (syderned members) also received information from police officers involved about areas with fewer patrols and so on," he said at a press conference, Tuesday, May 27, quoted from Bernama.

According to Hussein, in carrying out his actions, this cable thief syndicate was assisted by "insiders", namely technicians and security guards from the company appointed by Telekom Malaysia (TM).

He said the "insider" would tell members of which cable parts of the syndicate needed to cut so the alarm sirens didn't sound.

"This means, in every incident of cable theft, involving an insider himself who shows easily stolen places, how to cut it easily, and even teach a place to cut it so it doesn't get caught," he said.

"So the modus operandi is, after getting information from insiders about places that are easy to steal cables and police patrol information, they will steal cables," Hussein continued.

Furthermore, Hussein said the stolen cables were then taken to the plantation to be burned for metal to retrieve, namely the selling-valued copper section. This syndicate sells the copper to scrap metal traders.

Hussein said the syndicate was thought to have been active since last year.

According to the results of an interim investigation, he said, this syndicate has carried out 23 transactions of cable sales at old iron shops around the Semenyih area, with an estimated sale of around RM683,000.

"We suspect this cable theft syndicate has committed more than 23 cases of theft," Hussein said.

He said, in this case the police secured evidence including a four-wheeled Toyota Hilux, a Proton Perdana car, a Mitsubishi Fuso Canter truck, 1.2 tons of metal, and metal cutting equipment.