Residents in USJ 3 and 4 are getting insecure over the sharp rise of crime in their neighbourhood which they claim began a year ago, by a gang of armed robbers that breaks into houses with the occupants still inside.
K. Manohar, a resident of USJ 3, had his house broken into last month. The robbers had attacked the house, run upstairs and held parangs to the necks of him and his wife.
“They yanked the grill door (below) and stormed in at around 9.30pm when we were upstairs. Four of them who were equipped with parangs quickly went up and tied us up,” he said, adding that it took place around middle of April.
He estimated the loss is at RM12,000 in the 15-minute attack.
“They only aimed for quick disposable items,” he said. “They even threw out my wife’s credit cards and identification cards when they took away her purse,”
Manohar said his family was not hurt, but the experience has left them traumatised.
Manohar’s neighbour, Jane (not her real name) was not as lucky as her brother had his hand slashed trying to stop a gang of armed robbers from entering her house.
The burglars, believed to be the same gang that broke into Manohar’s house, attempted to prise open a grill-door but the alert Jane, who was in living room, immediately closed the wooden door.
“(The gang) pushed back when I tried to close the door. I yelled for help. My brother and sister then came to my assistance,”
“In the struggle they brandish their parangs from the door gap and slashed my brother’s hand,” she said.
She said the gang only went away when police arrived at the scene 30 minutes later, but her brother had sustained a serious injury.
Jane is upset that police forensic team has treated the case lightly, claiming they did not dust for fingerprints that were left on the door by the gang.
“From their body language and attitude, we knew we could not get anything back,” she said.
Manohar shares the same sentiment, saying that the police have not reassured the residents of their personal safety.
The neighbourhood has attempted to set up a security scheme, but has failed to meet the minimum 80 percent consent from all residents.
“We hope police can beef up their patrols at night because that is the time when the robbers hit,” Manohar said.
However, Subang Jaya Officer in-charge of Police District, ACP Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar, responding to Komunitikini’s query on this matter, said there is no sign of crime rise, as shown by the crime index.
“Instead, the crime index indicated that crimes reported to all police stations in Subang Jaya has gone down by 13 percent from January 1 to May this year, compared with same period of time last year,” he said.
He also doubted the allegation that police did not take fingerprints from Jane’s house.
“Police will look for evidence from all aspects, and dusting for fingerprints is one of the standard procedures when police arrive at a crime scene,” he said.
Meanwhile, local councillor, Rajiv Rishyakaran, urges the police restore public confidence by apprehending the criminals.