KUALA TERENGANU: In this modern era, cannibals still do exist.
Not the carnivorous kind, but scoundrels who strip motor vehicles of their valuable parts and wantonly dump the cannibalised ‘skeletons’ along public roads, near housing estates and in industrial areas.
The cannibalised carcasses are the end result of millions of ringgit worth of missing vehicles which insurance companies or the authorities can no longer identify, owing to their missing registration number plates.
But in some instances, bold scoundrels leave the registration number plates on the abandoned cannibalised carcasses intact.
Such brazen acts, which have been going on for a good number of years, have not only left eyesores all over the country, even in big towns and cities, but raised eye-brows as to how lucrative the practice has become.
Several concerned members of the public told The New Straits Times that there could possibly be hundreds of thousands of cannibalised vehicles, especially cars and motorcycles, dumped nationwide.
One of them, Malaysian Community Policing executive council member Teoh Teik Eng, said he feared the cannibalised carcasses could be the work of syndicates which steal licensed and registered vehicles, strip them of the needed parts and then dump them off.
“Some of the vehicles could have been used to commit crimes like robberies, burglaries and homicides.
“Or simply, the vehicle owners themselves could have abandoned them after failing to pay up on loan instalments or rental fees.
“Others could be accident cases,” said Teoh, who is also Subang Indah Residents Association vice-president in Selangor.
Some of the cannibalised carcasses have been dumped even beside public utility premises, like Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) substations, factories, high-rise flats, playgrounds, petrol kiosks, markets, bridges and fly-overs, roundabouts, traffic-light junctions, schools and even government buildings.
Many more are not noticed, as the cannibalised carcasses are dumped in more discreet areas like plantations, rural areas, forests, mining pools, lakes, rivers and the sea.
“It not only creates eyesores, but reflects the apathy of residents and the working community.
“It is as if no one seems to care or give two hoots about the situation,” said Teoh, who has brought up the matter with relevant parties, but to no avail.
Another concerned citizen, Adam Ahmad from Kuala Terengganu, said that even local authorities and enforcement agencies like the police and Road Transport Department seem unconcerned.
“There does not seem to be any concerted effort to prevent the dumping of cannibalised motor vehicles in public places, or even to clear up the carcasses. I am sure that enforcement personnel, on their daily rounds, will have spotted the cannibalized carcasses.
“I am also wondering why scrap metal dealers have not taken advantage of the situation by sourcing the cannibalised carcasses, which could be worth plenty of money for them,” said Adam.
Retiree Chandra Jogi, from Kuala Lumpur, called on all and sundry to clear the mess, especially as Malaysia approaches fully-developed nation status in 2020.
“Whatever it is, something drastic needs to be done to get rid of the unsightly cannibalized carcasses, especially in major towns and cities.
“The public also needs to be the eyes and ears of the authorities, and alert them should they witness the dumping of the cannibalised carcasses,” he said.