IPOH: The police have arrested eight people believed to have stolen underground cables in Taman Canning here.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said the suspects, all unemployed and aged 18 to 36, were arrested at about 3.30am on Wednesday (Sept 11).
Comm Azizi said the arrests were made following an attempt by the group on Jalan Perlis in Taman Canning on Tuesday (Sept 10).
He said a 31-year-old complainant saw the men in front of his house and alerted the police.
"The group opened a manhole to pull out the underground cables using a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
"When the group saw the police, they sped away in two other vehicles," he said in a press conference here on Wednesday (Sept 11).
Acting on information, the police conducted an operation on Wednesday and made the arrests.
Also seized were a 300m-long cable and other tools used..
Comm Azizi said seven suspects have previous drug-related cases and that the case would be investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code.
"We are also investigating if any of them previously worked with telecommunications companies.
"Stealing underground cables cannot be just done by regular drug users – it requires skills and some special tools were used," he said.
