KUCHING: A street robber, nabbed after relieving an elderly woman of her necklace at knife-point yesterday, claimed he turned to crime as he needed money for the impending birth of his child.
NOWHERE TO RUN: The injured suspect sits on the ground under the watchful eyes of a policeman as paramedics arrive to treat him.
The 32-year-old was apprehended by members of the public shortly after he and an accomplice targeted a 61-year-old resident of Three Hills Park while she was on her way to buy vegetables.
According to the victim, she had just left her house and was making her way to a shop when two unidentified men on a motorcycle pulled up beside her.
She said the pillion rider approached her with a knife in his hand and shoved her to the ground before snatching her RM1,500 gold necklace.
Fortunately, the robbery was witnessed by two brothers, who happened to be driving through the area on their way to work.
One of the siblings, a 28-year-old, said he reacted instinctively upon seeing the robbery in progress and sped towards the motorcycle just as the pillion rider was about to hop back on.
Not wanting the criminals to escape, he said he did not think twice and rammed his Proton Gen-2 into the rear of the bike, sending both the machine and its rider flying into a small drain.
The pillion rider, however, managed to escape on foot along with the stolen necklace.
The commotion attracted the attention of the local residents, who called the police before making a citizen’s arrest.
When questioned by the public at the scene, the suspect claimed he had no choice but to steal as he needed money to pay for medical expenses because his wife was due to give birth soon.
Patrolling policemen soon reached the area and called for an ambulance to transport the suspect, who suffered head injuries, to the Sarawak General Hospital where he was warded for treatment. Police also recovered a large axe at the scene and seized the weapon, along with the motorcycle, for further investigation.
Meanwhile, the suspect’s pregnant wife showed up at the hospital upon learning of what had happened.
When asked, she said she had no idea what her husband had been up to, and last saw him leaving their house in Petra Jaya the previous night after he had told her he was going fishing before ‘going to work’.