DARO,SARAWAK,MALAYSIA: Monday;
Thieves operating in the town of Daro nowadays have shifted their focus. Prior to this they usually targetted aluminium planks and metal bars, now it is battery they were after.
The same thing happened in the nearby town of Sibu.
Several operators of these fast boat that usually ply between Sibu and several towns downriver, lately reported losses amounting to hundred of Rinngit when thieves took away the battery of their boats. These batteries are used as part of an ignition system that started the engines of these boats.
On one occasion an assistant of a tugboat tied at a wharf nearby in Sibu woke up to relieve himself at around 1 a.m. It was then that he saw a group of about six men encroaching a nearby marina and carted away six batteries. These people also carted away several anchors. Unwilling to draw attention to himself this man stayed in the dark and continued his sleep after the men were gone.
The police however, are still investigating.