SJ Echo – A last minute decision by taxi driver Maniswaran Subramaniam to finish work early to spend time with his wife and two kids turned into a drama on the streets when he successfully caught a snatch thief who had targeted his wife in SS14, Subang Jaya.
Maniswaran, 29 was sitting in his taxi with his two children whom he had picked up earlier, waiting for his wife, Sumethy Rajasegaran to finish work.
“I saw Sumethy head towards her car which was parked right behind my vehicle.”
“I was just about to come out of the vehicle to meet her when I saw on my side-view mirror two men struggling with her and subsequently fall on the road,” he said, adding that he quickly rushed to her side.
The motorcycle rider and pillion fell to the ground. The rider, according to Sumethy picked up his motorcycle and sped off leaving his pillion behind.
Maniswaran said he gave chase when the suspect ran across the road towards SS18.
“Two other passersby gave chase too and we caught up with the suspect about 100metres away. Two policemen on patrol who passed by then helped us apprehend the suspect,” he said.
Sumethy who was a little shaken and suffered a bruise on her shoulder said she saw the two suspects approach her on their motorcycle when she was at her car.
“I had opened my car door. Then I saw the pint-sized pillion rider’s hand reach out. I held on tight to my handbag and fought back.”
“He pulled again and in doing so, he fell off the motorcycle. I hit the open car door and was wedged there. I knew he couldn’t drag me,” she said.
The couple’s 6-year-old son who saw the drama from the inside of the taxi said he thought his father was playing a game when Maniswaran dashed past the vehicle in hot pursuit of the suspect.
“I have always read about such cases but never thought it would happen to me and my wife.”
“I jumped on top of a car which had blocked my path when I gave chase,” Maniswaran added.
Subang Jaya OCPD ACP Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar congratulated the couple and residents who had helped apprehend the suspect.
“Congratulations to all involved who were civic-minded and helped in the arrest of the suspect.”
“We are now hunting down the other suspect,” he said.
The arrested suspect is a 19-year-old unemployed from Kampung Medan in Petaling Jaya.
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