IPOH: Police, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and an investigation unit from Bukit Aman busted a business premises involved in electricity theft and arrested 57 illegal foreign workers at a frozen seafood business location in Hutan Melintang, yesterday.
Perak police chief Datuk Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the raid was carried out together with TNB’s Special Engagement Against Losses unit at 12.30 noon and initial investigations revealed that the TNB meter installation had been tampered.
“Investigations also revealed that the wiring that connects TNB’s installation at the substation had been tampered and such activities had been going on since 2016, incurring losses of up to RM1.3 million to TNB.
“We have opened investigation papers under Section 37 (1), Section 37 (3) and Section 37 (14) of the Electricity Suppy Act 1990. Those found guilty can be fined not more than RM100, 000 or three years imprisonment or both,“ he told reporters today.
He added that the premises had been issued summons five times before by TNB but such activities had continued.
“If there was no illegal tampering of the meter, the electricity bill of the premises would have been RM90,000 a month but due to tampering, the premises has been paying only RM15,000 a month,” he said.
He added that in the biggest raid involving electricity theft in Perak, a 31-year-old local was detained together with the 57 foreign workers from Myanmar, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Mohd Yusri said the local man was remanded for four days while the rest would be remanded for 14 days starting today.-Bernama
