Seven arrested in Temerloh raids over theft of TNB and TM cables

Police operations in Temerloh from Sept 15 to 19 led to the capture of seven individuals, six males and one female aged 16-40, accused of stripping cables from Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Telekom Malaysia Bhd. Investigators identified three criminal outfits—Geng Mat Letrik (two suspects), Geng Mista (one suspect) and Geng Sasi (four suspects)—responsible for the thefts between June and September. The raids recovered cables, vehicles and cutting equipment estimated at RM50,000, and four of the arrestees have previous criminal or drug convictions, with methamphetamine detected in four urine samples.

The suspects are being held under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code while investigations proceed under relevant penal and communications statutes. Police say the stolen metal is sold for about RM30 per kilogram to scrap dealers, causing infrastructure damage and service disruptions.