By Shikin Louis
KOTA SAMARAHAN, July 20: Two house break-ins have been officially reported in Kota Samarahan within 24 hours of each other, while a third case involving a burglary captured on CCTV in Desa Ilmu and widely shared on Facebook is believed to be under a separate police investigation.
Kota Samarahan district police chief Damataries Lautin confirmed that police reports were lodged for two cases—one in Merlin Garden and the other in Taman Samarindah Baru—with total losses estimated at nearly RM11,000.
Both incidents are being investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code for housebreaking and theft.
Case 1: Merlin Garden
In the first case, a 39-year-old businesswoman returned to her newly occupied terrace home at SL 65L, Block 24 MTLD, Merlin Garden on the afternoon of Friday (July 18), only to discover her living room ransacked and numerous valuables missing.
“She and her family had left the house unoccupied overnight to stay with relatives. Upon returning around 3.15pm, she found the front sliding window pried open and the interior in a mess,” the first report read.
Among the items stolen were gold jewellery, branded handbags (Kate Spade, YSL, Charles & Keith, and Skechers), two watches (Seiko and Casio), a Dyson hairdryer, a Tefal iron, as well as a bag containing the family’s passports, a land grant, and RM500 cash. The total estimated loss is RM8,500.
The family had only moved into the house a week earlier, and the premises had yet to be fitted with window grilles or curtains. Police lifted two fingerprints from the scene, which have been sent for forensic analysis.
Case 2: Taman Samarindah Baru
Later that night, a second break-in was reported by a 45-year-old retired army personnel at his home in Taman Samarindah Baru 3H, after he and his family returned from dinner.
“The suspect had forced open the back door grille and damaged the lock before ransacking only the master bedroom. The children’s rooms were left untouched,” the second report said.
Stolen items included a 5g Public Gold bar (serial number B108606), approximately RM100 in coins, and RM250 in cash — with the total loss estimated at RM2,400.
Like the first case, two fingerprint samples were retrieved from the scene and sent to the D2 Forensics Unit at Sarawak Police Headquarters for analysis.
Viral CCTV burglary: Desa Ilmu case
Meanwhile, a separate case in Desa Ilmu, Lorong 22M1A, has gone viral after a Facebook user posted CCTV footage showing a man breaking into a house at around 2.15am and leaving at 2.38am yesterday (July 19).
The post, which included the hashtag #tolongviralkan, claimed that a police report had been lodged, that fingerprint dusting had been conducted, and that the investigation is ongoing.
Although police action is believed to be underway, Damataries told DayakDaily that he has not yet been formally briefed on the case or received the report through official internal channels.
“The two reports were the only reports I have received so far. If there’s any more [including the one related to the viral CCTV footage], the report might come later,” he said. – DayakDaily
