Main image via Syok
No, this is not a plot from a superhero movie. A 23kg industrial radiography equipment known as the Radioactive Dispersal Device (RDD) has gone missing while being transported from Seremban to Shah Alam… and the authorities are freaking out.
The RDD contains Iridium-192, a radioactive isotope that emits beta and gamma radiation as it decays—a process that can take as long as 73 days. However, it’s safe as long as it’s contained in its lead-shielded casing. Unfortunately for us, the isotope is also often stolen to be used in a “dirty bomb”, a non-nuclear device that uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material!
via GIPHY
With a lucrative market value of RM75,000, the authorities are worried that the RDD will fall into the wrong hands of terrorists and militants, or scrap metal collectors, who would dismantle and sell it. If that happens, the effect can be deadly.
So, how did a 23kg equipment go missing? The story is a baffling one…
On 10 August, two technicians—from a company that offers test and inspection services to various industrial sectors—loaded the RDD onto their pick-up truck in Seremban at 2am, and headed to their office in Shah Alam. However, when they arrived one hour later, they realised the RDD has gone missing!
via GIPHY
The tailgate of their truck was already lowered by then, meaning that the RDD could have fallen off during the journey. So, they retraced their steps in the hopes of retrieving the RDD. However, it was nowhere to be found. Here’s where it gets even weirder. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) noticed no sign of the tailgate being pried open. On the other hand, investigators also found the tailgate’s locking mechanism to be in good working condition, so it wasn’t possible for the tailgate to unlock itself.
Image via New Straits Times
The two technicians were initially remanded because of their questionable story, but later released when they were found to be not related to any crime, terrorism or militancy acts.
If you happen to find the missing RDD or have any information about it, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board is appealing that you contact the police or them. And DO NOT under any circumstance open it.