AMPANG: Six men caught red-handed by police while stealing telecommunications cables brazenly produced a fake letter from the telco company to evade arrest.
However, the quick-witted policemen realised it was a fake letter and promptly detained the suspects.
Ampang police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Azam Ismail said the incident occurred at 2.45am along Jalan Besar Enggang AU2 on Saturday.
"A police team from the Hulu Kelang police station was on patrol when they came across five men doing maintenance work there.
"Another man was inside a manhole cutting the cables," he said in a statement today.
Azam said checks revealed that the men were hoisting out cut telecommunications cables.
"One of the suspects introduced himself to the police party as the supervisor and produced a letter for maintenance work from the telecommunications company.
"Our personnel contacted the company and they sent a representative to the scene. The representative confirmed that the letter was a fake," he said.
Police arrested the six men, aged between 20 and 32, and seized a Nissan van, a Mitsubishi pick-up truck, several road signs, traffic cones, a T-shirt with the telecommunications company logo, cutters and other tools.
"Two of the suspects had prior records. Our investigation revealed that the suspects were impersonating contractors hired by the telecommunications company in their bid to steal the cables," he said.
Azam added that the suspects have been remanded for four days.