KUALA LUMPUR – Police arrested the owner of an illegal catfish pond and his four Indonesian workers on Tuesday on suspicion of causing water pollution in Sg Selangor on December 7.
Selangor CID chief Datuk Fadzil Ahmat said the five individuals, aged between 28 and 50, were detained at a raid in Bukit Sentosa, Hulu Selangor.
He said the 50-year-old owner of the fish pond in Serendah, Selangor, is believed to have emptied the pond, leading to the pollution.
“Further investigation also found that the farm has been operating without a licence for the past three years, while all the suspects are remanded for a day starting yesterday.
“Police will apply for a remand extension at the Hulu Selangor magistrates' court to complete the investigation,” he said in a statement.
Fadzil said that the case is being investigated under Section 430 of the Penal Code for committing mischief resulting in supply water disruption.
On December 8, it was reported that water discharge from an illegal catfish pond had been identified as the cause of odour pollution that resulted in operations at the Rantau Panjang and Sg Selangor Phases 1, 2 and 3 water treatment plant (LRA) to be halted a day earlier.
Selangor Tourism, Environment and Green Technology, and Orang Asli Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian had said initial investigations detected a foul odour, believed to be of dead fish, in samples of raw water from Sg Selangor. – Bernama, December 24, 2020
