ROBAN: A father-and-son duo’s attempt to steal harvested oil palm fruit from a SALCRA plantation ended in failure after the father was arrested within hours, while his son remains at large.
Police also recovered a Toyota Hilux believed to have been used in the theft, along with 39 bunches of harvested oil palm fruit and a harvesting spike that had been hidden in nearby bushes.
Saratok police chief DSP Mathew Manggie said the 50-year-old labourer was arrested by the district Criminal Investigation Division (CID) at a longhouse in Sungai Ruan at around 11.30am yesterday (Jun 23).
The arrest followed a report lodged by a 52-year-old auxiliary policeman employed by SALCRA Roban South after he received information from a plantation worker that two men were loading harvested oil palm fruit into the back of a Toyota Hilux.
“The complainant and several colleagues immediately rushed to the plantation and attempted to intercept the vehicle by setting up a roadblock.
“However, the suspects refused to stop and sped off with the stolen produce, prompting the complainant to lodge a police report,” he said.
Acting on the report, police launched an operation and tracked down one of the suspects at a longhouse in Sungai Ruan.
Efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest the suspect’s son, who allegedly took part in the theft.
During questioning, the suspect allegedly admitted that he and his son entered the SALCRA South Roban plantation at around 7.30am in the Hilux before loading harvested oil palm fruit, which had been stacked along the roadside, into the vehicle.
“After loading the fruit, they encountered the complainant and several plantation workers while attempting to leave the estate. Instead of stopping, the suspect accelerated and fled with the stolen produce.
“Investigations also found that the pair later stopped at a hut about 1km from the plantation, where they concealed the stolen oil palm fruit and the harvesting spike in nearby bushes before fleeing,” he said.
Mathew said the suspect tested negative for drugs. The case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft.
