KUANTAN: Video clips and images shared by netizens on the social media on Dec 7, led police to arrest four of their own men believed responsible for breaking into a house at Taman Alam Perdana here last month.
The men - a corporal and three lance corporal - who were attached to the district police station general desk here were picked at their workplace about 4pm, about an hour after the posting was uploaded on a Facebook page.
The policemen aged between 25 and 36 years old were purportedly involved in a robbery at a businessman's house at Taman Alam Perdana here between Nov 1 and Nov 9 before making off with hundreds of cigarette cartons.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Aziz Salleh said the 30-year-old businessman, who allegedly used the single-storey premises as a store to keep the contraband cigarettes, had lodged a police report on Nov 10.
"The victim told us he left the house on Nov 1 and upon returning from outstation on Nov 9, he realised thieves had broke into the premises and the grills were forced open. However, our investigations did not find any clues or identify any suspects.
"On Dec 7, closed-circuit television footage captured from the guard house in
the settlement was uploaded to a Facebook page about 3pm labeling policemen as licenced robbers and we immediately nabbed the four men at the police station. They were tested negative for drugs and have been remanded till Dec 10(Sunday)," he told reporters today.
Aziz said the police department will not compromise even if their own men were involved in any criminal wrongdoing or disciplinary breach.
He said police were working closely with the Customs department to identify the source of the contraband cigarettes and how the businessman obtained the supplies which were kept in his house.
It is learnt that besides the cigarette cartons, the businessman had also alleged that cash amounting RM15,000 was missing from the premises and police were investigating the mattter.
The images uploaded on the Facebook page contained pictures of the policemen who were in separate vehicles allegedly showing their identification documents at the security guard.
The incident comes less than two weeks after two policemen with the rank of corporal were remanded in connection with the shooting of a grocery shop owner at his home at Kampung Jaya Gading here on Nov 25.
The duo also attached to the district police station here had made-off with several cartons of cigarettes.