Cabby's hunch is right - regular passenger is a criminal

JOHOR BARU - Taxi driver Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid felt grateful that he had a regular customer who took his taxi to work daily.

The customer, a Vietnamese in his 20s, would call Abdul Rahman, 53, in the morning to go to a factory in Bukit Pasir, Muar, and would call him a few hours later to pick him up.

The foreigner would bring home personal computer components when he left the factory.

Abdul Rahman said the man told him that he wanted to send the parts for repairs.

"But I noticed that he never returned to the factory with any computers. I was grateful for the fares which he paid promptly but I decided to inform the police after a while," he said yesterday.

Abdul Rahman's suspicions were proven correct.

The man was arrested for stealing personal computers from the factory.

Abdul Rahman and 10 others received certificates of recognition for their civic consciousness during a ceremony at the Johor police headquarters.

In his speech, state police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said public cooperation was vital in preventing crime.

"The police success in solving cases involves not only the force, but everyone, including the public, government and private sectors through the 3C (Communication, Collaboration and Creativity) concept," he added.

The text of his speech was read by his deputy Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ismail Yatim.

A total of 62 police personnel also received certificates of appreciation for combating crime in the state.