SEPANG: A gang of suspected cable thieves, including five police personnel, has been arrested in a takedown of their entire operation.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said police from the Kampung Dato Abu Bakar Baginda police station in Kajang found three cars parked along an oil palm plantation in the area during patrols on May 19.
“Checks found two suspects outside the plantation with six others inside burning cables (to extract metal).
"Two suspects escaped while six were detained," he told a press conference here on Tuesday (May 27).
Comm Hussein said follow-up investigations led to the arrest of three suspects the next day.
“On May 22, operations in Cheras and Kajang led to the arrest of six more suspects. These arrests included five civil servants who are policemen.
“They are under remand,” he said.
A final suspect was caught on Friday (May 23) in Taman Sungai Besi but released on police bail owing to his health condition.
Comm Hussein said it is believed that the police suspects were channelling information about law enforcement activities to the cable theft syndicate.
It was also found that two suspects, under contract to Tenaga Nasional Berhad, had taught the gang how to extract cables without triggering alarms.
“Those arrested are aged between 23 and 53 years. The ringleaders both have police records and prior cases of cable theft," Comm Hussein added.
