POLICE have arrested 12 men and a woman on suspicion of the theft of 72 tonnes of steel rails valued at RM90,000 from the railway yard of Gemas railway station in Tampin, Negri Sembilan.

Tampin police chief Anuwal Ab Wahab said today the suspects, ages between 35 and 56, were picked up in stages in Rompin, Pahang; Jalan Campbell, Seremban; Klang, Selangor, and Masai, Johor, from December 19 onwards.

They were arrested by a team of officers from the serious crimes division, Negri Sembilan CID and a team from Tampin CID, he said in a statement.

Anuwal said an administrative officer of the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) lodged a police report on December 16 on the missing rails.

“A preliminary investigation showed that employees of a company claimed to be working for RAC had taken the used rails by producing a fake letter from RAC,” he said.

He also said that the police seized four mobile phones, a Toyota Hilux vehicle, two invoices for the purchase of scrap metal, three Scania lorries, and 10 steel rails weighing 24 tonnes.

The suspects were being held under remand for four days for investigation under section 379 of the penal code for theft. – Bernama, December 22, 2022.