Two Cable Thieves Posing as PLN Officers Arrested in South Central Timor
Two cable thieves impersonating officers of the state electricity company PT PLN were arrested in South Central Timor (TTS), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The arrests followed an official report filed by PLN with the TTS police under registration number LP/42/V/2026/SPKT/Polres TTS/Polda NTT, dated 19 June 2026.
“After receiving the official report from PLN, the TTS Police Criminal Investigation Unit moved swiftly and managed to apprehend two suspects, identified by the initials AT (24) and AP (19),” explained TTS Police Chief AKBP Hendra Dorizen on Monday (22/6/2026).
Hendra detailed that the cable theft occurred in RT 012/RW 006, Mio Village, Amanuban Selatan District, TTS, on Thursday (18/6/2026) at around 1.30 pm local time. The two perpetrators carried out their criminal act by posing as PLN field officers.
“To deceive the residents, the two suspects used complete attributes like genuine PLN officers, from helmets to safety shoes,” Hendra stated.
The suspects’ actions were first noticed by a local resident named Susten Biliu. Susten initially heard his dog barking persistently while he was at home. Growing suspicious, Susten went outside with a torch and saw AT and AP starting their motorcycle.
“After the two suspects left, the witness checked the nearest electricity pole and discovered that the lightning protection cable had been cut and stolen,” Hendra explained.
Susten then contacted his friends, Yestri Biliu and Joni Nomleni, to intercept the perpetrators. They later caught the two suspects cutting another lightning protection cable beneath a power pole in the Oenoni Branch area of Mio Village.
“When approached and questioned about their authority, the two suspects initially claimed they were inspecting electrical voltage pressure,” Hendra said.
Observing the suspicious behaviour, PLN Soe field officer Maksi Eduard Ataupah immediately reported the incident to the TTS Police headquarters on Friday (19/6/2026). The Criminal Investigation Unit’s pursuit team then moved quickly to make the arrests.
Police seized several pieces of evidence from the suspects, including a Honda Revo motorcycle with registration number DH 3337 CP, two rolls of lightning protection cable, a large yellow bag, two screwdrivers, two helmets, and black trousers.
“Currently, both suspects along with the evidence are being held at the TTS Police detention centre for further investigation,” Hendra said.
AT and AP have been named as suspects. They are charged under Article 477, Paragraph (1), letters f and g, in conjunction with Article 20, letter c, of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP) and face a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to IDR 500 million.