By The Star, 23rd December 2008 (Tues)
Tips from the victims:
- Be alert and walk against traffic
- Don’t wear or carry expensive things that will catch people’s attention
- Avoid deserted roads or alleys if you are alone
- Carry as little cash as possible, unless you need it, and don’t keep all your cash in the same purse or pocket
- Never carry your purse or wallet in a very visible manner
- Walk confidently, so as not to appear as an easy target
- If your bag is snatched, don’t put up a fight as it is not worth getting hurt.
Victim 1
Graphic designer Adeline Ngui, 26, was unlucky enough to have her belongings snatched twice.
“The first incident happened outside my friend’s house in Damansara Jaya. I was sitting outside the house waiting for a couple of friends when I noticed two foreigners on a motorcycle who were circling the neighbourhood for some time,” she said.
“When the pillion rider got off the motorbike and walked towards me, I presumed that he wanted to ask for directions, until I realised too late that he was eyeing my gold chain,” Ngui said.
“I tried to open the gate to enter the house but the guy pushed me down with one hand and grabbed my chain with the other,” she said. “I was too shocked to shout but I struggled to keep my chain until it broke. I tried to give chase but gave up when I saw the robbers waving a 30cm-long knife at me.”
Ngui had her purse snatched in a second incident a year later at Taman Mayang Jaya. Three passers-by attempted to chase the perpetrator who was on a motorbike but lost him in a basement carpark.
“I suffered a shallow cut in the first incident and lost my IC, cash and ATM cards in the second, which I also reported to the police. The gold chain had more of a sentimental value as it was a gift from my grandmother,” Ngui said.
“I now carry less cash with me and stuff them into my jeans pockets. Unless I know I have something specific to buy, I’ll carry more cash with me, otherwise I won’t have more than RM50,” she said.
Ngui confesses to having a phobia of motorbikers driving slowly or too near, and has vowed never to wear expensive jewellery.
Victim 2
Business development manager N. Sangeetha, 28, also had her bag snatched twice within the same year and both incidents happened in the afternoon.
“I was walking home from college in PJ Old Town when a man on a motorcycle pulled my bag off my shoulder,” Sangeetha said.
“I didn’t fight him as I was alone and didn’t want to be dragged with the motorcycle. I had already reached my rented house and didn’t want him to know where I lived. I wanted to take down the number plate but there was none,” she said.
“A few months later, someone snatched my bag again, this time in the Chow Kit area,” she said.
As Sangeetha was then a student, she did not have much cash with her but lost her IC, student card, ATM card, handphone and house keys.
“In the second incident, I was left stranded in the middle of town with no money to go home or handphone to call for help, as I had already lost my handphone in the earlier theft,” she said.
“Thankfully I bumped into a classmate and she gave me money for a cab. It was a hassle to get my lost items replaced. I was still new to Klang Valley then; I didn’t know my way around and didn’t drive,” Sangeetha said.
“I had to pay a fine to get my IC replaced and also pay for a new student card. I also couldn’t withdraw money till I had a new ATM card and didn’t have a handphone for months,” she said.
Since then, Sangeetha has stopped carrying sling bags and does not carry a lot of cash with her.
Victim 3
Multimedia developer Ong Chin Han, 24, was mugged one night at the SS2 commercial centre.
“I was walking along the alley in between a row of terrace houses. A man on a motorcycle rode past me from behind,” he said.
“I had already braced myself for something to happen at the first sound of the motorcycle. But since he rode past me, I let my guard down a bit,” Ong said.
“The motorcyclist turned around and stopped to ask for directions. Since I didn’t know the exact location he wanted, I replied that I didn’t know and headed towards my car,” he said.
“The man then grabbed my shirt with one hand, and gestured with the other that he had a machete, while demanding that I hand over my valuables,” Ong said.
“I lost an old handphone and RM42. I didn’t hand my wallet to him. I merely gave him the money and showed him that I had a totally empty wallet. He even checked my pockets,” he said.
“I used to walk to the mamak stall or bank because my house is near the SS2 commercial centre.
But now when it gets dark, I’d rather take the car or do my errands in the day, although I’m aware that even a short walk to and from the car is an opportunity for robbers to strike,” Ong said.
He advises the public, especially women, to reduce the amount of things they carry, as handbags make them easy targets for snatch thieves.
No comments:
Post a Comment