Police seal Bercham storm‑hit areas, tighten movement controls to curb theft

IPOH, June 21 — Police have sealed off five zones within disaster-affected areas in Bercham and restricted movement in and out to prevent theft or house break-ins. 

Ipoh district police chief ACP Muhammad Najib Hamzah said some flexibility is given to residents who wish to enter or leave the affected areas, particularly those cleaning up their homes at night. 

“However, we will be stricter in restricting movement at night as some affected areas, including Anjung Bercham, are still without electricity. 

“If residents want to clean their homes or belongings at night, we will monitor and verify whether the houses belong to them, as we are concerned about potential theft disguised as clean-up activities,” he said at a press conference after inspecting the Incident Control Post (PKTK) at Bercham police station here today. 

He said as of 8 am, police had received 492 storm-related reports through Op Bencana, adding that there is no deadline for victims to lodge reports. 

Meanwhile, Muhammad Najib said the total losses in the affected areas have yet to be determined. 

Yesterday, Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament M. Kulasegaran reportedly said the storm, which struck on Friday, was extraordinary and affected more than 200 houses in Bercham. 

Kulasegaran, who is also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), said the unprecedented incident is believed to have been caused by a landspout phenomenon. 

Among the areas affected are Anjung Bercham Utara, Taman Mujur, Kampung Bercham, Kampung Tersusun Tasek, Taman Pusat Bercham and Taman Indah Sakti. — Bernama