BAU: Two telecommunications towers in the district were hit by cable thieves within the space of just over an hour, with the culprits making off with 1,310 metres of power cables in total.
Bau police chief Supt Mohd Haide A. Rahman said the thefts were discovered yesterday (Sept 14) when a technician and his colleague carried out inspections at the two sites.
The first case was uncovered at around 11.20 am at a telecommunications tower in Kampung Opar, where they found 12 runs of 80-metre RRU power cables belonging to Maxis missing.
“The stolen cables totalled about 960 metres, with losses estimated at RM6,000.
“Initial investigations found the tower was about 20 metres from the main road and surrounded by forest, with the nearest settlement about 100 metres away.
“Police believe the suspect or suspects gained entry by cutting a hole through the perimeter fence,” he said.
About an hour later, at around 12.30 pm, the same technician and his colleague discovered another cable theft at a Maxis telecommunications tower in Kampung Daun Singai.
This time, five runs of 70-metre RRU power cables, totalling about 350 metres, were found missing. The total value of the stolen cables has yet to be determined.
Mohd Haide said the second tower was located about 70 metres from the main road, and the perpetrator is believed to have entered the compound through the unlocked main gate.
No eyewitnesses have been identified in either case, while no arrests have been made so far.
He added that investigations are ongoing, with detectives tasked with identifying and tracking down those responsible.
The cases are being investigated under Section 431A of the Penal Code and Section 235 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
