PUBLISHED ONJune 05, 2024 6:09 AMByKhoo Yi-HangNapisah Muhammad had just got back into the car after returning from the toilet and was waiting for her husband and daughter.
To her horror, a man hopped into the driver's seat seconds later and sped off as the 66-year-old retired teacher tried to jump out.
After driving for about 400m, the man let her out after she put up too much of a fight.
The carjacking took place at a petrol station in Kuantan, Malaysia, at around 3.10pm on Monday (June 3), reported Malaysian media. The suspect was later nabbed on Wednesday morning and the stolen car was recovered.
Kuantan police chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu told Malaysian media that the family had stopped at the petrol station to refuel and use the toilet.
After filling up the car, a red Honda sedan, Napisah's daughter, Norharlina Mohamed parked it near the toilet and left the engine on.
CCTV footage showed Napisah going back to the car after using the toilet and getting into the front passenger seat. Norharlina, 38, then got out of the car to use the toilet.
A bald man then got into the driver's seat and shut the door.
Napisah recounted: "He held my shoulder tight and kept on saying 'kau diam' (keep quiet)."
Instead, the mother of two opened her side of the door, threw her handbag out and yelled for help.
Her daughter heard her screams and gave chase on foot.
As the man drove off, Napisah tried to leap from the moving car, according to The New Straits Times (NST).
"I put up a struggle and tried to jump out... when one of my slippers dropped on the road," she said.
"When the man realised that I was turning aggressive, he slowed down... and pushed me out, shouting 'kau nak keluar, kau berambus' (you want to go out, you get lost). Before stepping out, I managed to grab my daughter's handbag."
Napisah said several motorists had honked at the man to stop and even gave chase, but he managed to get away.
Napisah, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, said they had just dropped her grandson at his school and had stopped at the petrol station to refuel before travelling home.
"Each time we travel here... we will stop at the same petrol station. It will usually be our last stop before entering the highway," she said.
"I believe that the man had been watching our movements since my family arrived at the [petrol station]... Such incidents can happen anywhere, so it is best to be a little extra careful, especially those with young children."
According to Wan Zahari, CCTV footage showed that the suspect had arrived at the petrol station on a stolen motorcycle with false registration plates.
The family's belongings, which were left in the car, were later found strewn by the roadside in the area.
The suspect was arrested in Bentong, about 160km away from the petrol station, reported NST on Wednesday. He is reportedly an ex-convict in his 40s.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
