JINJANG Utara residents are upset by frequent thefts of metal, especially manhole covers, in the neighbourhood.

Retiree Lee Tian Soong, 62, said he had had his belongings stolen twice in just this month.

"My bicycle parked inside my compound was also stolen last year. These happened when none of us were at home. Some of my neighbours have also had their belongings stolen when they were not at home.

"I was born and raised here, so I know my neighbours well. On many occasions, I've seen strangers on motorcycles here. The next thing we know, the manhole covers in front of our houses are gone.

"However, we cannot just accuse people as we did not see them doing it or catch them red-handed. I installed a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) right after the items in front of my house were stolen on June 12. We live in fear every day as anyone can be a victim," he said.

Lee said it cost him RM500 to install two manhole covers in front of his house -- covers that were stolen just a few days after.

His neighbour, Chong Siew Long, 48, said the theft of manhole covers was becoming rampant lately.

"I've also had manhole covers stolen a few weeks ago. Even guard dogs didn't deter them from stealing," he said.

At a press conference at his home, Lee showed the video recording of a man stealing a metal cover to reporters and Kepong Community Service Centre head Yee Poh Ping.

In the recording, a man is seen walking nonchalantly towards the manhole in front of Lee's house, lifting the cover and walking off with the item, probably to a nearby vehicle.

Yee said he had received some 30 complaints on such thefts.

"We know that it is difficult to catch the culprits as we don't have proof and it is hard to determine which items were stolen and which were bought by the dealers.

"So, we hope City Hall and the police will be more stringent when issuing licences for scrap metal dealers that are mushrooming here. This way, the authorities can monitor them better," he said, adding that he always advised the victims to lodge reports.

He said based on his observations, there were some 40 scrap metal centres in Kepong.