PUTRAJAYA, March 16 — The Transport Ministry (MOT) has proposed to the Home Affairs Ministry (KDN) that the existing law be amended to impose harsher punishments on individuals involved in the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) cable theft case.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the cable theft case cannot be considered a normal theft case because it has the potential to threaten public safety and even affect the operation of the public transport system.
“We have proposed to KDN to amend the existing law to provide harsher punishments for cable thieves.
“It is not just an offence to steal cables, as it is also an offence to threaten public safety because the cables, when stolen, could cause accidents in the country’s public transport system. So this is a very serious offence,” he said during a media conference today.
Loke added that he also held discussions with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in December last year, and that KDN would take further action.
The recent reported MRT cable theft has caused service disruptions and affected the daily lives of users who rely on public transport.
It was reported that the police arrested four suspects believed to be involved in the Putrajaya Line MRT cable theft case through a recent operation.
Prasarana Malaysia Berhad announced in a statement that the arrests were the result of intelligence and surveillance carried out jointly by the Prasarana Police Assistance Unit and a Royal Malaysian Police team from the Selangor contingent headquarters.
The arrests were made following a police report filed by Prasarana regarding a cable theft incident near Sri Damansara Barat Station on March 3.
The incident was reported to have disrupted MRT Putrajaya Line operations for three days, inconveniencing thousands of public transport users.
