Cops probing multimillion theft of hospital gear
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — The police have set up a task force to investigate the theft of high-end medical equipment worth over RM5 million from three hospitals in the Klang Valley recently, an English-language daily reported today.
The most recent theft was at the University Malaya Medical Centre. — Picture courtesy of medicine.um.edu.myA local syndicate specialising in medical gear is believed to be stealing the endoscopy machines to sell to other medical centres locally or abroad, The Star reported.
“At least five people are involved in the most recent theft and we would be viewing all the closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footages to try to identify them,” the paper quoted an unnamed source as saying.
Its sources added that smaller clinics cannot afford to buy such equipment.
Endoscopy machines are tiny cameras used in the examination of internal organs.
The most recent theft happened last Wednesday at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) when thieves carted off endoscopy gear worth RM4 million, The Star reported.
The first reported case was on June 11 at the Columbia Asia Hospital in Kajang where the thieves took away a machine worth RM120,000 while the second case was on June 18 at Tung Shin Hospital in the city centre where eight similar machines disappeared, the paper added.
The task force is headed by City Criminal Investigation Department (CID) deputy chief Assistant Commissioner Khairi Ahrasa, The Star reported.
While the police seem to have success in busting several syndicates in the last few months, having smashed three drug smuggling rings and several on car thefts, public perception on the men in blue’s efforts to combat street crime remains high.
The government’s efficiency unit, PEMANDU, tasked with helping the police reduce crime under its Government Transformation Programme (GTP), however, insists that the public perception is based on media reports that highlight the same news instead of the police’s success stories.
