Update: The incident purportedly happened at the Lotus’ hypermarket in Tebrau, Johor.
A video emerged online showing a man snatching the bag of a woman at an unspecified shopping mall on a travellator.
The woman was heard screaming in Mandarin “EHH! ROBBERY, ROBBERY, ROBBERY!” as the man tried to make his getaway.
A man wearing red on the other side of the escalator that was heading in the opposite direction, then tried to stop the robber by punching him square on the jaw.
The impact appeared to have stumbled the robber who stopped in his tracks before picking up “speed” and trying to run away again (he appeared to be running in slow motion lol).
A group of passers-by then rushed over to stop the robber, with the man in red who punched him earlier (the MVP) also running back to provide support.
It is unclear where the incident happened, some netizens have claimed that it happened in Singapore, while others are saying that it happened in Malaysia.
Potential penalties
Under Section 356 of the Penal Code 1871, the offence of snatch theft carries an imprisonment of between 1 year to 7 years, as well as caning.
Advisory on snatch theft
- Be alert and attentive to your surroundings, especially when you are alone with a stranger. If someone is following you, head to a crowded area; if someone is trying to get close to you, move away.
- Avoid wearing lots of jewellery and carrying large sums of money on you.
- Avoid going out at night alone. If you have to, go out in a group or get someone (parent, close friend) to accompany you.
- Consider investing in a shrill alarm for you and your loved ones as they can come in handy to sound for help during emergencies.
Should you be a victim of crime, do not resist. Remain calm and take note of the description of the culprit, e.g. his appearance, clothing, height and other physical details. Also note the direction taken by the culprit and his mode of escape. You can use buildings and landmarks to describe the culprit’s direction of flight, e.g. towards ‘ABC Shopping Centre’. Call the Police as soon as it is safe to do so.