Ex-convict Nabbed Over Cable Theft In Teluk Intan

TELUK INTAN, Feb 14 (Bernama) -- A local man has been arrested for allegedly being involved in six telecommunication cable theft cases in the Teluk Intan district since January.

Hilir Perak district police chief ACP Ahmad Adnan Basri said the 35-year-old suspect was arrested after he was spotted behaving suspiciously in a Proton Gen2 at Anson Industrial Park around 2.30 pm on Monday.

“An inspection of the vehicle uncovered cable cutters, a grinder, screwdrivers, and other tools used for cable theft, along with five bags containing copper cables.

“The suspect, a former substation technician at a telecommunications company, was released from prison in December last year after serving a sentence for cable theft cases in the Klang Valley,” he told a press conference at the Hilir Perak district police headquarters today.

He also said the suspect admitted to stealing cables from telecommunication substations belonging to various companies, causing losses of more than RM60,000.

Ahmad Adnan said the suspect acted alone, stealing cables and taking selfies at each telecommunications substation he targeted for personal records before selling them to scrap shops around Teluk Intan.

“The suspect, who tested positive for methamphetamine, has been remanded for a week since Tuesday to assist in investigations under Section 379 of the Penal Code,” he said.

In a separate case, a 40-year-old local man has been arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery from two women in the district.

Ahmad Adnan said the suspect was detained on Jalan Sungai Manik at around 10 pm on Feb 5.

“The suspect also has three prior criminal records involving cable theft and drugs and has been remanded since Feb 6 to assist in investigations under Section 392 of the Penal Code,” he said.

-- BERNAMA