MELAKA: A couple who stole 56 charity donation boxes from orphanage homes and religious schools were detained during a raid by Melaka police at a condominium unit in Klebang.
Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Christopher Patit said the raid was conducted at 1pm on Tuesday (Dec 10) following several days of surveillance on the pair, aged 35 and 33, from Batu Pahat, Johor, and Melaka, respectively.
He explained that the two would impersonate authorised representatives from the orphanage homes and Madrasas before stealing the donation boxes left in front of payment counters at eateries in Johor, Negri Sembilan, and Melaka.
"Each of these donation boxes contains an amount between RM200 to RM250, totalling over RM11,000 stolen by the pair over the past two months since we placed them under our radar," he said.
ACP Christopher Patit noted that preliminary investigations revealed the couple had been involved in such thefts for the last two years in various parts of the country.
During the raid, police confiscated all 56 donation boxes from one male suspect's car along with a cutter and a plastic package believed to contain drugs.
ACP Christopher said the male suspect had four previous police records for crime and drug abuse, while the female suspect had five records, all for drug abuse.
"We have opened eight investigation papers on both of them under Section 380 of the Penal Code for theft, the Dangerous Drug Act 1956, and Section 29(1) of the Minor Offence Act 1955," he added.
