Repeated cable theft in Kepong leaves homes offline

Yee (left) and residents pointing out cables stripped of their copper and left by the roadside in the Jalan Ehsan Utama area. — Photos: ONG SOON HIN/The Star

RESIDENTS in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, are frustrated over frequent incidents of cable theft in their Jalan Ehsan Utama neighbourhood.

According to them, the first incident happened on Sept 17.

The thief only wanted the copper inside, they said, as the cable covers were found discarded by the roadside.

Following this, the area was struck three more times – twice on Oct 5, and again on Oct 6, a resident told StarMetro.

Cut cables causing telephone and Internet interruptions.

The repeated thefts have disrupted phone and Internet connections at several houses, leaving families struggling to go about their daily routine.

“Five houses have been affected,” said another resident who also pointed out that the theft had damaged the remaining cables.

Community activist Yee Poh Ping said a complaint was made to Telekom Malaysia on Oct 2 while a police report was lodged on Oct 5 at Desa Jaya Police Station in Taman Ehsan.

“Almost 100m of cable has been stripped,” Yee added.

When contacted later by StarMetro, Yee said Telekom Malaysia personnel visited the site on Oct 6 and restored connection to the affected houses following repairs.

Residents are urging the authorities to step up security in the area to prevent a recurrence. — By M. JIWA PRIYAA