JASIN: A husband and wife whose car caught fire after they loaded it with about 600kg of stolen oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) were detained when they went to lodge a police report for insurance purposes four days later.
Jasin OCPD Deputy Supt Ahmad Jamil Radzi said the car was turned into a "lorry" by the couple, aged 26 and 25, to transport allegedly stolen items on several occasions.
"However, their acts came to light when the overloaded vehicle burst into flames while they were transporting FFB from a plantation in Merlimau Estate here on Thursday (Oct 3)," he said on Wednesday (Oct 9).
DSP Ahmad Jamil said a 47-year-old auxiliary policeman lodged a report on Thursday that 30 FFB worth RM500 had been harvested without permission from 21 oil palm trees on the 4,500ha estate, owned by a local conglomerate.
He said on the same day, the Fire and Rescue Department received a call about a burning car in the plantation.
"The car was believed to have overturned due to overloading before catching fire.
"There were no signs of the driver or any passengers at the scene," he said.
The couple turned up at the Merlimau police station at 11.15pm on Monday (Oct 7) to lodge a report in a bid to claim insurance and were arrested,he added.
DSP Ahmad Jamil said they have been remanded until Friday (Oct 11) to assist in the investigation.
"They have criminal records for theft and drug offences.
"We also believe they are behind other FFB thefts reported earlier in the district," he said, adding that his team also confiscated a sickle at the plantation that may have been used to harvest the FFB.
Each fruit bunch weighs 20kg to 30kg.
