KUCHING: Police arrested a man and a woman after an attempted theft of Telekom Malaysia cables at Riveria Phase 5A here on Sunday evening.
Samarahan District Police Chief, Supt Damataries Lautin, said both suspects were apprehended after the complainant, a 62-year-old company manager, detected suspicious activity through CCTV monitoring of his office premises.
“At about 4.40 pm, the complainant saw a man on a motorcycle loitering in front of the premises before attempting to pull down exposed Telekom cables from the wall. He alerted his employee, who managed to catch the suspect before he could flee,” he said.
According to Damataries, the man aged 54, a retiree from West Malaysia was accompanied by a local woman aged 43 who was later spotted at a nearby convenience store allegedly attempting theft but was detected by staff. Both were detained and handed over to police.
Police seized a motorcycle along with several tools, including a knife, pliers, garden shears, and a metal file believed to have been used in the attempted theft. A wire cutter was also recovered from a drain near the scene.
“Preliminary checks showed the motorcycle was registered under a family member of the female suspect. During initial questioning, the male suspect admitted to attempting to cut the cables on his own,” Damataries said.
Both suspects are being held at the Kota Samarahan police station lock-up for remand proceedings.
“The case is being investigated under Section 379/511 of the Penal Code for attempted theft, and both suspects will undergo urine screening tests. Investigations are still ongoing,” he added.
By Connie Chieng