BUKIT MERTAJAM: The state Road Transport Department detained seven men, believed to be tontos who provided information on the former’s movements to lorry operators carrying loads beyond their weight limits, during an Ops Tonto today.
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State RTD director Adenan Mat Isa said the seven, aged between 20 and 40, were picked up at various locations on the mainland during the joint operation with the police, the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) and the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“We carried out surveillance and intelligence before launching today’s operation. This follows the actions of the tontos who keep track of each of our vehicles’ movements when conducting enforcement duties before relaying the information to errant lorry operators.
“After receiving the information, the lorries will usually use different routes or some may even stop their journey until the enforcement team leaves. Most of the tontos will be outside our office here and our enforcement stations to monitor our movements,” he said after the Ops Tonto here today.
Adenan said four of the seven men were detained in the Seberang Prai Selatan district, two in the Seberang Prai Tengah district and another in the Seberang Prai Utara district.
Six of them were on motorcycles tailing the RTD vehicles while another was driving a Toyota Hilux. All the vehicles were seized.
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Adenan said, based on investigations, each tonto was paid about RM300 daily by the lorry operators.
Besides that, he added, they also seized seven communication sets, namely walkie-talkies, without licenses from those arrested, along with their cell phones.
“The tontos had used the walkie-talkies to contact the lorry drivers to alert them of our presence.
“We have even lodged police reports against the tontos before this for preventing us from carrying out our enforcement duties and checks on the lorries,” he added.
The urine test of three of those nabbed came back positive for drugs and all of them have been remanded to assist investigations under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
“We will continue with this operation from time to time in our efforts to weed out the tonto’s activities,” he said.- NST