M-cyclist scares off cattle thieves

KUANTAN: When motorcyclist Mohd Amirul Azahar spotted three men forcing an object into the back seat of a car on Wednesday morning, he became suspicious and decided to take a closer look.

As the 24-year-old fisherman approached the vehicle, he was shocked to see them trying to shove a cow into the back seat. Upon noticing him, the suspects fled into the nearby jungle.

Amirul, from Kampung Pantai Sepat, who was going to work in Kampung Chempaka at 6.30am, said he spotted the car parked among some coconut trees.

“I didn’t expect the object to be a cow. When the men saw me, they ran into the nearby jungle.

“I alerted some villagers, but we could not locate the suspects. They might have hidden in the jungle until we left the scene,” he said.

Amirul said villagers recovered tranquilliser darts from inside the vehicle.

He said there had been livestock thefts where villagers found cow heads and bones left behind after the cattle were slaughtered.

District police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Aziz Salleh said police were tracking down the car owner to help in investigations.

“The suspects could be responsible for a spate of livestock thefts in the area or are part of a syndicate,” he said, adding that the cattle owner lodged a report on Wednesday.