Police On The Trail Of Suspect Involved In Penang TM Cable Theft

GEORGE TOWN, June 4 (Bernama) -- Police have launched a manhunt for a suspect who stole cables belonging to Telekom Malaysia (TM) in the Taman Nusantara Flat area here, early this morning, and fled the scene, forcing police to mount a high-speed chase for more than 50 kilometers from the Penang First Bridge exit to Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Northeast District Police Chief, ACP Abdul Rozak Muhammad, said a police team that arrived at the location immediately after receiving information about the incident at 3:44am, saw a pickup truck believed to be carrying the suspect speeding towards the Tun Dr Lim Cheong Eu Highway.

"A Police Patrol Vehicle (MPV) that detected the suspect's vehicle pursued them starting from the Penang First Bridge exit towards Seberang Perai, then entering the North-South Expressway heading north.

"MPV officers tried to stop the suspect's vehicle, but it was ignored before it skidded into a ditch next to the Permata Hill Park residential area, Bedong, near Sungai Petani, Kedah," he said in a statement today.

Abdul Rozak said the suspect then fled into a nearby forest area, and further inspection of the vehicle found cable cutters and several cut cables in the back of the vehicle.

He said efforts to track down the suspect are actively underway, and the case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft.

-- BERNAMA