Cloed-circuit camera footage of a snatch theft outside a shopping mall in Bangsar has gone viral, as Malaysian netizens share it on social media networks.
The incident, which reportedly occured on Monday, saw the thief riding up to the foyer of the shopping mall on a motorcycle, as several luxury sedans were dropping off passengers.
The two-minute CCTV video shows the suspect loitering on his bike at the foyer, while seeming to keep himself busy looking into his sling bag and checking his phone.
After several cars had dropped off or picked up passengers right in front of him, the suspect revved his motorcycle and lunged towards a woman carrying several plastic shopping bags.
The action starts at around 1:56 on the YouTube video.
Dragging the victim several metres after grabbing onto her bag, the snatch theft jolted security staff at the foyer and several pedestrians into action, who tried to stop the thief from escaping. The attempts failed, and the thief rode off into main road traffic.
Bangsar Communithy Policing founder Kuan Chee Heng told The Star Online‘s P Divakaran that while Bangsar has seen a drop in the frequency of snatch thefts, members of the public still need to remain vigilant.
He also urged civilians to be more aware of their surroundings, and to note the presence of suspicious characters.
“You need not confront him (a suspicious person), but you can send him signals to make sure that he knows that you are alert,” said Kuan.
