KOTA KINABALU: Two men were arrested under the suspicion of being involved in illegal sales of subsidised diesel in the city here.
The two suspects who were refueling their vehicles, caught the attention of undercover enforcement officers from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, who noticed them taking longer than usual to fill their tanks at around noon on Monday (April 13).
“Our personnel approached the vehicles to inspect and found that the fuel tanks had been modified to connect to a larger tank called the Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) inside, which can hold up to 1000 litres of liquid,” said Sabah Domestic Trade director Shahril Nizam Shahidin.
He said both tanks had around 800 litres of diesel in them, respectively, adding that they believe both men, in their 30s, were involved in the illegal sales and collection of subsidised diesel.
When asked to produce documents for controlled goods, stock book and receipts for the sales and purchase of diesel, both men failed to hand over any, he said.
Shahril said both men as well as their vehicles and the diesel were seized, and will be investigated under the Supplies Control Act 1961.
For the first car, the total value seized was around RM12,700 while for the second vehicle, the seized value was about RM10,050.
“The total value of items confiscated was around RM22,745,” he said, adding that any form of abuse of subsidised goods is a serious offence which affects the people as well as the national economy.
Shahril said no individual, company or entity will be spared if found to break offences relating to the illegal purchase and sales of controlled goods.
He urged the public to work with the ministry to prevent smuggling and leakages of control and subsidised goods by sending information to their WhatsApp number at 019-848 8000; the e-Aduan KPDN (https://eaduan.kpdn.gov.my) portal; Call Centre 1-800-886-800; or via the Ez ADU KPDN phone application.
