Melaka Tengah police chief Christopher Patit said another suspect managed to escape after their car crashed. He said those arrested were aged 26, 28 and 38.

“During the hot pursuit, the suspects’ pickup truck hit two public vehicles at Bukit Palah, Melaka, and side-swiped six other vehicles on the PLUS highway before crashing at about 5.30am on Nov 5.

“A struggle ensued between the police and the four suspects but one of them managed to escape,” he said in a statement today.

The chase began after police in a patrol car spotted the four in a pickup truck, suspected of being involved in stealing Telekom Malaysia cables. When the patrol car approached, the suspects sped off towards the Alor Gajah-Jasin highway, then took the Ayer Keroh toll road towards the PLUS highway heading north.

Patit said an inspection of the suspects’ vehicle found 148 TM cables and cable theft tools. All the suspects have a record of over 20 criminal offences involving robbery, burglary, theft and drugs.