KUALA LUMPUR: Police have remanded a 25-year-old unemployed snatch thief after the suspect was apprehended by a local man in the area where the crime took place.
Subang Jaya deputy police chief, Superintendent Mohd Fairus Jaafar, said the case is being investigated under Section 392 of the Penal Code for committing robbery without weapons, which carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to 14 years and may also include fines or whipping.
He said the police are continuing efforts to investigate the suspect's involvement in other snatch theft incidents.
"On Dec 16, at approximately 1.00pm, a snatch theft occurred at the roadside of the Flat Taman Puchong Intan residential area in Subang Jaya, Selangor. The victim, a 19-year-old unemployed foreign woman, was approached by a local man riding a motorcycle with an unknown registration number. The suspect asked her something in a Malay dialect, but the victim did not understand.
"The suspect then proceeded to snatch the victim's gold necklace and fled. During the incident, the suspect was apprehended by a 27-year-old local man who happened to be in the area.
"He took the suspect's motorcycle keys and contacted the police, handing the suspect over to officers from the Subang Jaya District Police Headquarters," he said in a statement.
He added that the police confiscated evidence, including a Honda Dash motorcycle used by the suspect, along with its keys and a gold necklace valued at approximately RM1,500.
The suspect was then remanded from Tuesday (Dec 17) to Friday (Dec 20). Initial urine screening is also underway by the Narcotics Department.
"The police are also working to identify the suspect's involvement in other snatch theft incidents and are urging the public with information regarding this case to come forward and cooperate by contacting 03-78627222 or the investigating officer, Inspector Fadizah Ajamain, at 019-8582166.
"All informants' identities will be kept confidential," he said.