ISKANDAR PUTERI:The Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained 11 Indonesian men for stealing scrap metal and shabby items from two ships in Pulau Kukup waters near Pontian.
Its director First Admiral Aminuddin Abdul Rashid said six of them were detained with boats at 10.20pm on Thursday about 3.2 nautical miles Southwest of Pulau Kukup, on suspicion of stealing from a ship, SC Lancer.
“The other five were detained at 1.30 am at about 2.3 nautical miles Southwest of Pulau Kukup, allegedly for stealing the same types of items from the Sinar Asia 2912 barge which was being towed by TB Asia Jaya boat,“ he told reporters at the Johor MMEA jetty, at Sungai Pulai, yesterday.
Aminuddin said the arrests of the men, aged between 16 and 30, were carried out by the MMEA patrolling team who conducted the ‘Operasi Khas Pagar Laut 2/2019’ in conjunction with Ramadan.
He said the SC Lancer was then sailing from Batam, Indonesia to Chittagong, Bangladesh while TB Asia Jaya which was towing Sinar Asia 2912 barge, was on its way from Tawau, Sabah to Penang.
The 11 suspects were from Batam and Pulau Karimun, Indonesia, with all the scrap metal and shabby items worth RM500, are being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for stealing. — Bernama
