Malaysian police and public thwart man’s attempt to steal car with 6 students onboard

SABAH, MALAYSIA: The police successfully thwarted a man’s attempt to steal a car carrying six students in an incident that took place in front of a convenience store in Kampung Pinousuk, Kundasang, on Tuesday (31 Oct) evening.

As reported by MStar, a Malaysian news and media website, at approximately 5 p.m., the suspect was apprehended by members of the police patrol vehicle (MPV) unit from the Kundasang Police Station with the assistance of the public.

Deputy Superintendent Simiun Lomudin, the District Police Chief of Ranau, stated that they received a report about a man attempting to steal a Proton Persona car, but coincidentally, there were six school children inside.

“However, the suspect was apprehended, and the police have also received information about a video capturing the police’s actions against the suspect, which has gone viral on social media,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“It’s not a kidnapping but an attempt to steal a vehicle,” he explained.

Simiun mentioned that they are conducting an investigation to ensure that legal action is taken.

“We are investigating the case under Section 379A of the Penal Code and Section 365 of the Penal Code.”

“Members of the public with information about this incident are encouraged to report it to the Criminal Investigation Division at the Ranau District Police Headquarters (IPD),” he added.

Furthermore, a video capturing the police-assisted arrest of the suspect, with the public’s involvement, had rapidly spread across social media, with numerous users sharing the same video on multiple platforms.

Children recount harrowing ordeal

Meanwhile, a separate video surfaced on Facebook, showcasing the six children recounting their terrifying encounter with the suspect. In the footage, a concerned individual probed the children about the events that transpired during the incident.

The caption from the post wrote, “Fortunately, these school children are safe and unharmed when the car they were in was stolen by a thief while it was parked at a store because the owner had a brief errand to attend to.”

In the video, the man, who was recording, asked the six children, “Could you share your account of the recent incident that occurred earlier?”

One of the girls recounted that the suspect suddenly entered the car and took the driver’s seat.

The girl said the suspect asked them, “Which school do you kids go to? Is it nearby?” To which the children responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“However, he swiftly slammed the door shut and sped off without warning,” the girl recounted.

Another boy quickly chimed in, describing his memory of the incident instead.

He explained that initially, the man simply approached the vehicle and began inquiring about their school. At that moment, they were all engrossed in a discussion about their school.

“But all of a sudden, when “uncle” (the original car driver) started to approach our vehicle, the man saw him and hastily got in and drove away,” the boy said.

“He was driving so fast,” the children said.

The man behind the camera inquired, “So, did any of you cried?”

In response, the children said “Yes,” and pointed towards another boy who was quietly seated near the car’s window.

“Alhamdulillah, you guys are safe,” the man reassured them.