Helpful citizens foil robbery bid at ATM

KUALA LUMPUR: The quick reaction of passers-by led to a citizen’s arrest of four foreigners who tried to rob a woman of at least RM3,000 in cash.

The woman, a civil servant, had gone to a bank at Taman Maluri here at around 5.30pm on Monday to deposit the cash into her account when she found herself surrounded by four men.

Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Chong Kok Sin said the woman was with her child.

“She placed the money into the machine but it rejected one RM50 note.

“She was trying to straighten the rejected note when the four men approached her and one of them grabbed the note as if to help her,” he said when contacted Tuesday.

ACP Chong said the woman feared something was amiss and grabbed the note from the suspect.

“Another suspect pressed the ‘cancel’ button on the cash deposit machine and the rest of the money was rejected.

“A scuffle ensued between the victim and the suspects, and one of them managed to grab the cash before they all fled the scene,” he said.

However, passers-by who witnessed the incident gave chase and caught the suspects in a citizen’s arrest.

ACP Chong said two of the suspects suffered head injuries in the ensuing struggle, and have been sent to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre for treatment.

The passers-by contacted the police after detaining the suspects, he added.

He said the four suspects, aged between 21 and 37 and believed to be from Pakistan, have been remanded to allow investigations.