JOHOR BARU: Police are hunting five men caught on video stealing cables in Taman Melodies here, after the footage went viral on social media.
Johor Baru (South) police chief Assistant Commissioner Azrul Hisham Mohd Shaffei said the video showed the men cutting cables and loading them into a car.
He said an internal police report was lodged at 4.16pm yesterday after a senior police officer came across a social media post uploaded at 2.20pm the same day.
"Police identified the vehicle owner through its registration number, and efforts to identify and track down all five suspects are ongoing," he said in a statement.
The case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft, which carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Those with information on the incident can contact the Johor Baru South district police headquarters or its hotline at 07-2182323.
On Tuesday, it was reported that a cable theft gang suspected of operating in four states had been busted after members were filmed stealing Telekom Malaysia cables in broad daylight using a Mercedes-Benz and a pickup truck.
Fourteen people, including two women, were arrested following a viral video showing the suspects in action near a primary school in Kampung Melayu Panchor on Oct 9.
The suspects, aged between 22 and 67, were arrested in a series of raids in Labu, Nilai and Dengkil, Selangor.
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