KUCHING, March 5 — Two men were caught in the act of tampering with the wiring system of a double-storey terrace house in an affluent neighbourhood here during an anti-power theft ambush operation, a Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) spokesman said today.

She said the two suspects, aged 47 and 33, were believed to be actively operating an illegal business providing electricity theft services at the Tabuan Tranquility housing estate and nearby areas.

She said they were detained at the scene by a team consisting of SEB’s utility arm Syarikat Sesco Berhad (Sesco) personnel and the police last week.

The spokesman said the duo were then taken into police custody for further investigation, adding that the tools used in the crime were seized as evidence.

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 “The arrest was made possible after months of surveillance by the anti-power theft team consisting of personnel from Sesco, Electrical Inspectorate Unit (EIU) of the state Ministry of Utilities and the police,” she said.

Based on police information, she said one of the suspects is also wanted for other criminal cases.

It is believed that this case may lead to more arrests of others involved.

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The house owner has also been called in by the police to assist in the investigation.  

From information gathered, the spokesmen said the house owner is believed to have used the illegal service since 2017 and had never applied for electricity connection, avoiding payment for monthly electricity bills.

“Based on the supply loading measured at the premises during the raid, the electricity consumption for the premises is quite high, and estimated to reach RM800 per month,” she said.

She said Sesco will recover the charges for the stolen electricity from the customer based on estimated consumption for the two years of illegal supply.

She said SEB will continue to work closely with the police and reminds its customers that subscribing to or committing this illegal activity is a crime under Section 33(5) of the Electricity Ordinance, which carries a penalty of RM100,000 and/or five years’ imprisonment if found guilty.