KENINGAU: The Magistrate’s Court here has ordered a 44-year-old man to pay a fine of RM10,000, or face one year’s imprisonment, for stealing Telekom Malaysia (TM) cables.
Magistrate Flavian Edward Hendry imposed the sentence on Muhammad Azlan Abdullah after he pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing cables belonging to TM.
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The charge was framed under Section 431A of the Penal Code.
According to the facts of the case, at approximately 8pm on Feb 16, a team of police officers and personnel from the Keningau District Police Headquarters (IPD) conducted surveillance after noticing Muhammad acting suspiciously.
He was observed pulling TM cables from an underground pit using a chain block in a bushy area behind the Keningau District Council (MDK) Hall along Jalan Bariawa.
The raiding team swiftly moved in and arrested Muhammad at the scene, as he was believed to be in the process of stealing the cables.
Investigations revealed that Muhammad admitted to acting alone during the incident and had used tools he had brought from the Tulid area in Sook.
Further inspection at the site uncovered a hole about three feet deep, which had been dug to access the underground TM cables.
Initial assessments by TM personnel confirmed that the cables had been pulled by Muhammad, causing damage to the cable connections.
However, Muhammad was unable to escape with the cables, as he was immediately apprehended by the police.
