A suspect being caught by police and villagers.
SIMUNJAN: Police arrested four men for allegedly stealing electricity transformers and cables from a substation in Tebelu near here, causing blackout at several villages on Friday.
Its district police chief DSP Zamzuri Muhammad said police received a complaint regarding the incident at 8.13am. After an inspection by the relevant department it was discovered that a transformer worth RM50,000 had been stolen.
According to him, a CID special task force from the headquarters was deployed to the scene. Upon arriving, they found a suspect held under civilian arrest by the villagers after he was caught acting suspiciously. Further interrogation of the suspect led to the arrest of three accomplices who tried to flee into the jungle after realising that the police were hot on their trail.
“Police also recovered a compact car believed to be used during the crime. After further inspection, police found electrical cables in the car that have been cut and dissolved,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He added that the suspects were aged from 14 to 27 years old and two of them were referred to Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) for treatment after they engaged in a scuffle with the police and villagers when attempting to flee.
Zamzuri also said police are looking for two other suspects still at large known only as ‘Dido’ and ‘Kamel’ from Kampung Baru Sebuyau.
“We urge members of the public with information regarding the two suspects whereabouts to come forward to the nearest police station to assist with the investigation,” he said, adding that legal action will be imposed on any scrap metal dealer who purchase or posses stolen goods at their premises.
“This is a strict warning to the scrap metal dealers not to purchase the stolen cables. If found guilty their license could be revoke with immediate effect,” stressed Zamzuri.