Civil servant among those arrested over sand theft case

Three men, including a civil servant, were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for their alleged involvement in sand mining activities at the Sungai Pahang area.

Sources claimed they were apprehended in an integrated operation led by MACC in Temerloh on Monday.

The trio, aged between 45 and 55 years, were nabbed in the operation which also involved a specialist team from the Putrajaya Road Works Department and the Pahang Land and Mines Office.

The civil servant was alleged to have received bribes up to RM8,500 a month to cover up the act involving two of Temerloh's biggest sand suppliers.

According to an estimation from the Pahang Land and Mines Office, the state government stood to lose almost RM180,000 a month due to illegal sand mining which was said to have been in operation since mid-2014.

The perpetrators used the same mineral extraction forms for their loads to avoid paying tax to the Land and District office.

The investigation also discovered the existence of another syndicate to protect overloaded lorries which uses a special car sticker as a sign to certain enforcers.

MACC also identified 10 other enforcement officers believed to be involved in accepting bribes.

The payment received by each person was said to be between RM250 and RM350 from a company.

All the sand taken out from Temerloh were sold in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

When contacted, MACC Deputy Operations Commissioner Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the arrests but declined comments.

The five-day remand for the three suspects began Tuesday.