KENINGAU: A group of individuals who trespassed into an oil palm plantation in Nabawan using 17 vehicles to steal palm fruit has sparked concern, leading to a police report by the plantation manager, on Tuesday.
The incident at the Indera Jaya Nabawan Plantation was discovered at around noon after the 44-year-old complainant received an emergency call from his workers.
The workers reported the unusual presence of approximately 17 Toyota Hilux vehicles and more than 10 motorcycles trespassing into the plantation area with the intention of illegally harvesting the palm fruit.
Keningau District Police Chief Supt Yampil Anak Garai confirmed receipt of the report and said the case is currently being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft.
He said initial investigations revealed that the trespassing incident stems from a land ownership dispute.
The trespassing party claims to have rights over the area based on an old agreement made with the complainant’s brother-in-law in June 2006.
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However, the authenticity of the document is doubted and unrecognised by the complainant due to its ambiguous contents.
This land dispute has actually been brought to the High Court for resolution.
The court had also set a case mention on April 1, but the party claimed the land failed to appear. Driven by that claim, the mastermind behind the case is believed to have brought a group of civilians, who claim to be participants in the old agreement, to enter the plantation to cart away the palm fruit harvest.
To date, the plantation management has yet to ascertain the exact quantity and total value of the losses incurred from the stolen palm fruit.
Intervention was intentionally avoided for the time being to prevent any physical confrontation or tense situations between the plantation workers and the group of trespassers.
Investigating Officer Sergeant Carolyn James said police are currently carrying out further investigations.
