When snatch thefts happen, there’s little most of us can do about it except watch our possessions being cruelly taken away. However, this woman bravely pursued her attacker once her handbag was snatched, only to pay a horrific price for it – her life.
According to Sin Chew, a 37-year-old female hawker named Meng was on her way to the market to buy ingredients for her stall on March 12, when she became the victim of snatch theft. An eyewitness at the Taman Suria market in Johor where the thief struck, said the hawker’s handbag was stolen just as she was turning in. Once she realised what happened, she pursued the assailant on her motorcycle, honking her horn relentlessly in an attempt to stop him/her.
Unexpectedly, while she was in hot pursuit, she lost control of her vehicle and collided head-on with a tree, and died from the impact. Once her fellow hawkers at the Taman Sentosa food court where Meng worked noticed that she was missing for longer than usual, they became worried and called the victim’s husband. When he arrived on the scene, he noticed that his wife’s handbag, which usually contained cash, a phone and their children’s MyKads had already gone missing.
Although it seemed evident that his wife was the victim of snatch theft, Tang, a 51-year-old private driver said that the case has not been classified as a crime, as police were unable to find witnesses verifying that his wife had had her belongings stolen. However, he asks, “But if she hadn’t been robbed, why would she have just honked at another motorcycle while chasing after it?”
Guang Ming reported that the victim was a prawn mee and wantan mee hawker who worked at the Taman Sentosa food court for three years prior to her passing, and was a mother to two children aged five and nine.
Police are now urging members of the public to cooperate with them, and to come forward should they have any relevant information that could help launch a formal investigation.
Our thoughts are with the victim’s family, who are now forced to live through a horrible loss, all because of one snatch thief’s heartless act. Please be careful on the road at all times, no matter what the circumstances may be!
Also read: Woman Falls Victim to Snatch Thief While Walking Near KLCC, Suffers Bad Head Injuries