DALAT: Thanks to the diligence and fast action of the local police, the theft case at a laundrette here is considered solved.
The suspects in the Grace Light Dobi theft on the morning of June 1 were detained – less than 24 hours after a report was lodged at the Mukah District police headquarters (IPD).
Dalat district police chief DSP Saga Chunggat praised the decision of the self-service laundry owner to install a closed circuit television (CCTV) system which helped facilitate the investigation, leading to the arrest of the husband and wife suspects.
In the incident, the victim, a worker at the laundromat, had placed his wallet and mobile phone in his helmet next to the sink near the back door of the laundrette.
“The victim who was doing some cleaning later realised that his wallet and mobile phone were missing.
“Police, who were alerted, wasted no time to investigate,” he told New Sarawak Tribune’s sister tabloid Suara Sarawak.
He said at around 2 pm the same day, a Mukah MPV unit came across the suspects’ car at Jalan Mukah-Balingian. The vehicle was heading towards Balingian.
“When ordered to pull over, the suspects ignored the patrol unit and instead accelerated. A high-speed chase ensued lasting 20 minutes. Police managed to intercept the suspects’ vehicle near Kampung Penipah, Mukah.
“The male suspect aged 41 and his spouse, 31, were arrested under Section 380 of the Penal Code and will be remanded for investigation,” he said.
Saga said both suspects had past criminal records.
He advised the public to be careful when it came to placing valuables in public places.
“Thieves will always take advantage if they get an opportunity. Thanks to the laundrette operator who installed CCTV cameras, we managed to catch the thieves.
“Without the CCTV system it would have been quite difficult and time consuming to catch the suspects,” he said.
