KUCHING: An attempt to rob a student of his handphone was foiled when members of the public came to the victim’s aid on Thursday.
They helped apprehend one of the two suspects.
The incident happened around 4.30pm when the 15-year-old male student and a friend were accosted by two youths on a motorcycle as they were walking along Chawan Road.
A struggle ensued between the group during which one of the suspects bit the student’s arm in an attempt to relieve him of his handphone.
Despite being bitten, the victim refused to let go of it and shouted for help as he was knocked to the ground by the suspects.
Several men who heard his cries rushed to his aid and managed to nab one of the youths before he could flee.
His accomplice escaped.
According to a member of the public, the suspect and several of his friends were earlier spotted having a drinking session not far from where the attempted robbery took place.
The 20-year-old suspect was handed over to police and detained in the lockup.
In an unrelated incident on Thursday, a foreign factory worker was relieved of his wallet and handset after being threatened with a machete by two men.
The 30-year-old Bangladeshi was walking alone in the Muara Tabuan Light Industrial Estate area around 12.30am after leaving a friend’s house, when two men on a motorcycle stopped beside him.
One of the men took out a machete and pointed it at the victim’s head while demanding for his valuables.
Fearing for his safety, he handed over his wallet which contained about RM30 and his handphone to the men who sped off.
The victim lodged a police report later in the day.