PUTRAJAYA, May 18 — Police have solved a copper earth cable theft at the Alamanda Shopping Centre here with the arrest of four local men including a former security guard of the shopping centre.
Putrajaya district police chief ACP A. Asmadi Abdul Aziz said that three of the men were detected stealing the cable on level one of the shopping centre at about 9am on May 10 based on a closed-circuit television recording.
He said the management of the shopping centre subsequently lodged a police report over the theft involving a loss of about RM6,800.
He said the three suspects were nabbed at three different locations in Dengkil, Sepang, on May 12 and May 13 which brought to the arrest of another individual who is the son of a used items shop owner in Taman Putra Perdana, Sepang.
“An investigation found that the three individuals were friends and used a rented car for the cable theft. One of the culprits was suspected to be a former security guard at the shopping centre,” he told a media conference here today.
Asmadi said among the items seized from them were a wire cutter, hacksaw and some green-coloured earth cable wires.
He said urine tests found the three suspects positive for drugs and they also possessed criminal records under Section 15(1)(A) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
According to him, two of the suspects have been charged at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court under Section 379 and 414 of the Penal Code while two others have become prosecution witnesses.
Asmadi said cable thefts were increasing following the high demand and could fetch up to RM34 per kilogramme.
“The activities should be nipped in the bud before they spread to government buildings and housing areas which would disrupt the communications system and power supply in Putrajaya,” he added.
— Bernama
