KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian authorities called for calm on Monday (Aug 20) after reports that the police are frantically looking for a Radioactive Dispersal Device (RDD) that has been missing since Aug 10. In another bombshell, the Malaysian police chief later said another such device had gone missing last year and not been found. 

The device, an Industrial Radiography Equipment, contains the radioactive isotope Iridium- 192, which emits beta and gamma radiation as it decays during its estimated half-life of 73 days.

Police and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) share the same concerns of it falling into the hands of terrorists or militants, or those who treat it as metal to be dismantled and sold for a quick buck, said a report by the New Straits Times (NST).

Deputy home minister Azis Jamman said on Monday that the police were actively investigating the incident. 

“So far, everything is under control. There is nothing to be worried about at this moment,” he was quoted saying by The Star.

“This is the first time that such a case has occurred. It just happened that there is a radioactive element when the incident took place,” Mr Azis said.

But this was contradicted by Malaysian police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun who said that this was not the first time such a device had gone missing.

“The same thing happened last year, when a similar device went missing. The device is still missing. Nobody has found it,” Mr Fuzi said. 

“The details of the incident are not with me, so I can’t remember.”

It is said that the 23kg RDD that went missing this month has a market value of RM75,000 (S$25,000).

According to reports, Iridium-192 is one of the most- stolen commercial radioactive isotopes that can be used in a dirty bomb — a non-nuclear device using conventional explosives to spread radioactive material over a wide area.

The compound is safe as long as it is inside its lead-shielded casing.

The NST, which was alerted to the search for the radioactive device, has learnt that it belongs to a company offering test, calibration and inspection services to the oil and gas industry, as well as power plants, manufacturing, automative and transportation sectors, among others.

According to sources, two technicians of the company, who are in their mid-30s, had loaded the device into the back of the company’s pick-up truck for a task in Seremban.

They completed the task and left Seremban for their office in Shah Alam at 2am.

When they arrived an hour later, they discovered the device missing from their Nissan Navara.

The duo told investigators that the tailgate of their vehicle was already lowered when they reached their office.

They had said the device could have fallen out during their drive back to their office.

The two retraced their journey in an attempt to recover the device.

They told investigators that they did not stop during the journey to their office.

One of them alerted AELB and the highway operator, Plus Malaysia Bhd, which helped scour the stretch between the Sena-wang and Seafield toll plazas.

The NST learnt that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) did not find any sign that the tailgate had been pried open.

Investigators found that the tailgate’s locking mechanism was in good condition, saying that it was not possible for it to “unlock” by itself.

The Shah Alam district police headquarters’ CID did not believe the duo’s story and had them remanded.

However, they were released on Friday after no criminal elements were traced to them, including their possible involvment in terrorism or militancy. This conclusion was based on interviews investigators conducted with them, as well as forensic investigations on their handphones.

Mr Fuzi said that the duo were released on bail after their statement was recorded.

“We are investigating it. We remanded two men, who were released on bail after we took their statements. The duo said the device went missing by accident. The device was not properly locked when it was transported,” he said.

The NST learnt that the major concern of AELB was that the missing device contained radioactive material that could compromise security and safety. 

It fears that the person who finds the device and has no knowledge of its content, may dismantle it to be sold as scrap metal, thus causing mass exposure to radioactive materials.

A source in AELB told the NST that there were no leads on the missing item up to Sunday.

“We appeal to those in possession of it to contact the police or AELB. Do not open it," the source said.

“It cannot fall into the wrong hands as the consequences can be deadly.” AGENCIES

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