KUCHING: Three men were among four victims of snatch thieves during a three-hour span in different parts of the city on Monday.
The first incident occurred at India Street around 4.30pm, when a 28-year-old trader had an envelope containing over RM8,000 snatched from his grasp.
He had only just alighted from his van when two men on a motorcycle grabbed the envelope as they rode past him and sped off.
Recovering from the initial shock, the trader got back in his van and chased the pair until Taman BDC where he lost sight of them after getting caught in traffic.
The victim, who had earlier withdrawn the money to pay his workers’ wages, lodged a police report soon after the incident.
The second case, meanwhile, saw a housewife losing her gold necklace to two snatch thieves while walking alone at Lorong Cathay.
The 64-year-old from Jalan Batu Lintang told police the culprits rode up to her from behind before one of them grabbed her necklace.
She said the 5pm incident happened so fast that she was unable to get a clear look at the type of motorcycle used or its licence plate number.
The third case took place at a commercial centre in Tabuan Jaya about an hour later when a welder had a bag containing his wallet and mobile phone snatched by two men.
The 36-year-old said he was about to get into his car when the suspects, who rode a Honda motorcycle, grabbed his bag and sped off before he could do anything to stop them.
Apart from some cash and a mobile phone, the welder lost a number of important personal documents and estimated his loss at over RM1,000.
The final incident saw a third male falling victim while he was walking alone at Tabuan Foochow.
The victim, a 33-year-old trader, said the incident happened around 7.15pm when he was approached by three men and a woman who rained blows on him before relieving him of his wallet, mobile phone and a gold ring.
The suspects then fled the scene on three motorcycles while the trader, who suffered bruises to his head and body, lodged a police report of the incident.
All four cases are being investigated.