Lost - Two Jet Engines
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Lost - Two Jet Engines
The impossible theft, the improbable truth — “The Malaysian Insider”
The impossible theft, the improbable truth ? The Malaysian Insider
DEC 31 2009 — Fictional Victorian-era private detective Sherlock Holmes, now playing in your nearest cinemas, has said this many times: “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
That quote first came out in “The Sign of the Four” written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1890.
They come to mind when the nation's top cop Tan Sri Musa Hassan yesterday blamed three low-ranking airmen and an agent for the theft of two fighter jet GE J85-21A turbojet engines over the past two years.
"Investigations revealed that this case does not involve any top-ranking officer from the air force as reported earlier. Only three lower rank officers have been detained.
"I hope that certain quarters would not speculate further on the issue," the Inspector-General of Police was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times, Dec 31 edition.
He also added that apart from the three, an agent who assisted in closing the deal was also arrested.
"All four of them have been released on bail. Three other agents have been identified as witnesses to facilitate police investigations," Musa said.
Now seriously, three low-ranking airmen took advantage of lax controls to send out RM100 million worth of engines out of a secure airbase for sale?
No one higher up? A brigadier-general was cashiered for incompetency, an unusual punishment for what passes off as the civil service in Malaysia.
The thing is, it probably takes a lot more brain power and audacity to simply walk out of an airbase with one, let alone two jet engines. The engines are not a small thing, physically and the scale of the theft.
Not that we are looking down on our airmen, especially those in the lower ranks. But it is an impossible theft just for the sheer chutzpah to even think of it, let alone go through with it.
Perhaps they are just simply thieves and just had the opportunity to steal anything, even jet engines. After all, the engines are spares for the F-5Es and only six out of 13 planes are working.
Perhaps this age of conspiracy theories and the two years it took to make the theft public have led Malaysians to be cynical about Musa's statement.
Perhaps the police took all that time to go beyond the three airmen and came up naught.
Perhaps, no matter how improbable, it is the truth.
Perhaps Musa is a fan of Sherlock Holmes?
The impossible theft, the improbable truth ? The Malaysian Insider
DEC 31 2009 — Fictional Victorian-era private detective Sherlock Holmes, now playing in your nearest cinemas, has said this many times: “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
That quote first came out in “The Sign of the Four” written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1890.
They come to mind when the nation's top cop Tan Sri Musa Hassan yesterday blamed three low-ranking airmen and an agent for the theft of two fighter jet GE J85-21A turbojet engines over the past two years.
"Investigations revealed that this case does not involve any top-ranking officer from the air force as reported earlier. Only three lower rank officers have been detained.
"I hope that certain quarters would not speculate further on the issue," the Inspector-General of Police was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times, Dec 31 edition.
He also added that apart from the three, an agent who assisted in closing the deal was also arrested.
"All four of them have been released on bail. Three other agents have been identified as witnesses to facilitate police investigations," Musa said.
Now seriously, three low-ranking airmen took advantage of lax controls to send out RM100 million worth of engines out of a secure airbase for sale?
No one higher up? A brigadier-general was cashiered for incompetency, an unusual punishment for what passes off as the civil service in Malaysia.
The thing is, it probably takes a lot more brain power and audacity to simply walk out of an airbase with one, let alone two jet engines. The engines are not a small thing, physically and the scale of the theft.
Not that we are looking down on our airmen, especially those in the lower ranks. But it is an impossible theft just for the sheer chutzpah to even think of it, let alone go through with it.
Perhaps they are just simply thieves and just had the opportunity to steal anything, even jet engines. After all, the engines are spares for the F-5Es and only six out of 13 planes are working.
Perhaps this age of conspiracy theories and the two years it took to make the theft public have led Malaysians to be cynical about Musa's statement.
Perhaps the police took all that time to go beyond the three airmen and came up naught.
Perhaps, no matter how improbable, it is the truth.
Perhaps Musa is a fan of Sherlock Holmes?
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Not that hard really , air forces are always disposing of scrap components including engines so it probably went out hidden in a truck load of scrap. It would have had to involve logistics and security and mid level officers , the brass wouldn't have known anything about it, the question is where would the engines go ? Probably to be sold BACK to the malaysian air force via one of their suppliers via 'friendlies' inside that could gloss over the fact these engines were already listed on the inventory , those engines are too hard to ship anywhere without attracting a lot of attention.
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Ok , I'm surprised.
If they were trans-shipped through Singapore or the USA or even Oz they would have a high probability of being impounded without correct export approvals and end user certificates. Direct shipment ?
The fact they got to their destination means someone has good contacts and probably not a mid level officer scam.
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If they were trans-shipped through Singapore or the USA or even Oz they would have a high probability of being impounded without correct export approvals and end user certificates. Direct shipment ?
The fact they got to their destination means someone has good contacts and probably not a mid level officer scam.
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Malaysia Boleh
I can only say one thing after reading that, "Malaysia Boleh" 
After all, it's a land of possibilities.
Fact is, it's hard to believe that anyone can just roll away two jet engines without anyone noticing and no support from the high rankers.. A few years back, some militant group just went into a militiary camp in Malaysia and emptied their armoury just like that. No fight, no sweat. In and out of the front gate. Thought their logistical and security department would have woken up after that experience. Seems not. Sleep tight, fellas !
P.S: The word in red literally translates as Malaysia Can. It was a catchphrase coined by the ex PM Mahathir to build up the Malaysians can do spirit.
After all, it's a land of possibilities.
Fact is, it's hard to believe that anyone can just roll away two jet engines without anyone noticing and no support from the high rankers.. A few years back, some militant group just went into a militiary camp in Malaysia and emptied their armoury just like that. No fight, no sweat. In and out of the front gate. Thought their logistical and security department would have woken up after that experience. Seems not. Sleep tight, fellas !
P.S: The word in red literally translates as Malaysia Can. It was a catchphrase coined by the ex PM Mahathir to build up the Malaysians can do spirit.
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Crooks are ingenius !!!
We had a lot of surplus Bomb trolleys and hence used to use them as trailers in jeeps to transport items.
Everyone was used to that sight.
The culprits used such trolley trailers to transport items/ scrap etc that are officially allowed with gate pass through the security gate outside the airforce camp for disposal.
Only thing is when they returned they came back minus the trolley which was sold outside surreptiously.
Since only the jeep number but NOT the attached trolley was in the manifest, no one was the wiser for a long long time till an accidentally ordered inventory check
captbala
.
Everyone was used to that sight.
The culprits used such trolley trailers to transport items/ scrap etc that are officially allowed with gate pass through the security gate outside the airforce camp for disposal.
Only thing is when they returned they came back minus the trolley which was sold outside surreptiously.
Since only the jeep number but NOT the attached trolley was in the manifest, no one was the wiser for a long long time till an accidentally ordered inventory check
captbala
.
