Cyclist shaken by nimble snatch thief

RECENTLY, I decided to go cycling at about 5pm. I live in SS1, Petaling Jaya and I usually cycle to the Kelana Jaya area on Sundays as a form of exercise.

As I was cycling along Jalan SS1/18 and approaching the T-junction to Jalan SS3/39, I slowed down. Suddenly, I felt someone trying to unbuckle my waist pouch. I turned and saw a motorcyclist. I stopped cycling immediately and as I tried to get off the bicycle, the motorcyclist let go, smiled and rode off!

This was a snatch thief extraordinaire because he was able to ride alongside my bicycle without much noise, control the motorcycle handle with his right hand while using his left hand to try to unbuckle my waist pouch.

Thinking about the incident later, I realised that this snatch thief must have modified his motorcycle to emit less noise to avoid attracting attention. This must be a new technology adopted by snatch thieves on motorcycles to avoid arousing suspicion of their approaching presence.

Had the snatch thief been successful, I would have lost my iPhone, driving licence, some cash and my set of house keys.

My outing was cut short because I no longer felt comfortable and I kept looking behind me for any approaching motorcyclist.

If a motorcycle came near, I slowed down and waited for the rider to pass me before I continued my journey home. This rude experience has warned me that safety from snatch thieves on public roads, even for cyclists, cannot be taken for granted.

TOH CHEE TIONG

Petaling Jaya