Malaysian police bust cargo thieves

Malaysian police bust cargo thieves

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian police have busted a syndicate stealing cargo from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and arrested 30 people, a report said on Friday.

The Star newspaper said 12 of those arrested were Malaysian Airlines employees, 10 were accused of buying stolen items and the rest were employees of freight forwarding companies operating at the airport.

The paper said the suspects were arrested in a series of raids last month and this month over thefts totaling about 1.5 million ringgit (US$395,000).

The report said police had recovered some of the stolen items, including cellular phones and computer hard disks.

The futuristic new airport at Sepang, south of Kuala Lumpur, opened in July 1998. Its facilities have been widely praised but it has been hit by a series of thefts from cargo and travelers' luggage.