One Singaporean couple was left shaken and jumpy in Johor Bahru after fending off intruders who tried breaking into their Airbnb rental.

In a post on Lemon8 last Saturday (May 18), a woman with the username Lilac said that the ordeal happened when she was lounging in a condo at Mount Austin. 

Her boyfriend was sleeping with silicone ear plugs at that time, she said.

"Suddenly, I heard knocking at the opposite unit," she said. "And then after a while, the knocking came to our door, which didn't stop after three repetitions."

Initially suspecting it was a security guard or a delivery rider who had gone to the wrong unit, Lilac opened the door while using her foot behind as a latch.

"To my horror, there were a bunch of men dressed in open-collared black shirts and pants, like those typical gangsters you see in the movies," said Lilac, adding that one of them tried to push the door.

"Thankfully, my flight or fight mentally kicked in and I managed to slam the door shut. I put my body weight against it until I heard the lock click shut."

After resisting for two seconds that "felt like forever", Lilac woke her boyfriend up, who called the Airbnb host — all the while with the men kicking and slamming the door with all their might.

She said: "The gangsters suddenly left after four to five minutes of the ordeal.

"I suspect they realised the door was holding up too well and they gave up, but we couldn't see what was going on as we were hiding in a room behind a second door."

The couple finally opened the door after a security guard identified himself and told them he was contacted by the Airbnb host.

Intruders entered condo with keycard

In several photos shared by Lilac, it showed the damage the intruders had caused to the main door, which included cracks on the wall.

"There were even blood stains on the main door," she said, adding that the men might have tried punching their way in. "And our unit's digital lock glass screen was also broken."

Lilac said that she and the Airbnb host later reviewed CCTV footage that revealed several lapses in the condo's security measures.

The intruders were able to enter the condo with a keycard, even though it is only given to residents and occupants.

"This means they either stayed in one of the units and duplicated the key, or somehow picked it up from one of the units," she said.

Security system faulty

Checks in the lift lobby also showed that the security system was faulty, and the handle of the door leading to the fire escape staircase on their floor was broken.

"This made me really shocked," Lilac said, pointing out that she had taken for granted the safety measures of her accommodation in JB.

She added that the "harrowing" incident has permanently changed her view of safety when travelling overseas, including even to a "short trip in JB".

She has since lodged a report with JB police.

She added: "We still do not know what the gangsters had hoped to gain from breaking in, possibly for our belongings or even for more sinister reasons.

"Regardless, we choose to be thankful that we were physically unharmed from this ordeal."

Contact local law agencies for assistance: Airbnb

Airbnb guests who are facing trouble should contact local emergency services or law enforcement authorities for assistance, said Airbnb on their website. 

They are advised to read the reviews and ratings of the hosts before booking an accommodation, and also do a safety check of the place to be better prepared for an emergency. 

AsiaOne has contacted the Lemon8 user for more information.

ALSO READ: 'He's trying to kill us': Singaporean man claims taxi driver tried breaking into his Bali Airbnb home

chingshijie@asaione.com

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