“Believe me, we will go all out to look for those involved, and if we catch them, we will prosecute them in court,” he said at a meet-the-people session here.

“We do not want to see the nation being cheated … We want enforcement agencies, including those in Labuan, to step up operations and checks against diesel theft.”

Separately, domestic trade and cost of living ministry (KPDN) officials in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, reported seizing 3,000 litres of fuel, believed to be subsidised diesel, at a petrol station in Jalan Rasah.

A lorry, an intermediate bulk container tank with a 1,000-litre capacity, and two electric pumps, were also seized bringing the total value of the seizure to RM16,650.

Anwar emphasised that curbing diesel theft is essential to protect the interests of people in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan, who rely heavily on diesel. He urged the public to report diesel theft and abuse to the authorities.

He also reiterated his stance on the diesel subsidy rationalisation programme, noting that Sabah and Sarawak are exempted from the new scheme announced on May 21.

He explained that this was because almost all households in these regions depend on diesel, and implementing the subsidy changes would impose an undue burden on them.

To mitigate the potential inflationary impact on the prices of goods and services in Peninsular Malaysia, Anwar said the government will provide cash assistance directly to individual owners of commercial vehicles.

In Seremban, state KPDN director Zahir Mazlan said a 45-year-old man was detained on suspicion of dealing with controlled scheduled goods without a valid licence or permit.

He added that two investigation papers have been opened against the lorry driver and the petrol station owner for further investigations to identify others involved in the diesel distribution network.