JASIN: A seafood trader in Pantai Siring woke up to an unexpected loss when a break-in at her stall saw not cash or equipment stolen, but the very marine produce she relies on to make a living.
The incident is believed to have occurred between 1am and 3am on Friday (April 10) when about two kilogrammes of clams, five horseshoe crabs and one kilogramme of sea snails were stolen.
The trader, who wished to be known only as "Puan Siti", said the items had been prepared for daily sales, making the loss particularly impactful.
"The marine produce kept for daily sales was gone after my stall was broken into.
"This is the first time such an incident has happened here,” she said when contacted by reporters on Monday (April 13).
Siti added that the suspect’s face was captured on CCTV and matters took a more troubling turn when several customers later informed her that they had seen the man selling similar seafood nearby.
"When I compared it with the CCTV footage, it looked like the same person and he was selling back what alledegly stole from my stall,” she said.
The incident has since gone viral on social media after Siti shared a video recounting the break-in and urging the public not to buy the stolen items.
She claimed the suspect had taken large quantities of the clams, packing them into sacks and had also taken other items, including the horseshoe crabs.
Siti said that she is currently the only trader selling such clams in the area, adding that there are no active fishermen harvesting such marine species at the moment.
Jasin OCPD Supt Lee Robert confirmed that a police report has been lodged.
