Transport ministry proposes stiffer penalties for MRT cable thieves

2026-03-16 - 07:34

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the recent case of cable theft along the Putrajaya line could not be considered a normal incident, as it threatened public safety and disrupted public transport operations. PETALING JAYA: The transport ministry has proposed to the home ministry to amend the law to impose harsher penalties on those who steal cables from mass rapid transit (MRT) lines. Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the recent case of cable theft along the Putrajaya line could not be considered a normal incident, as it threatened public safety and disrupted public transport operations. “The theft of such cables could cause accidents in the public transport system. This is a serious offence,” Bernama reported him as saying today. Loke said he had also discussed the matter with home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in December, with further action to be taken by the home ministry. Yesterday, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd said police had arrested four suspects for alleged involvement in cable theft along the Putrajaya MRT line. Prasarana said the theft caused a three-day service disruption on the line earlier this month and that the arrests were made during a joint operation by its auxiliary police and Selangor police. The suspects, aged between 30 and 45, were brought to the scene for identification and to assist in the investigation. The arrests followed a police report filed by the public transport company over cable theft at the Sri Damansara station on March 3.