Published: Friday November 29, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Friday November 29, 2013 MYT 7:01:20 AM
Man caught after robbing moneylender
PASIR GUDANG: Two robbers walked into a licensed moneylending outlet, threatened the workers with a hammer and stole the money from the safe. Before they fled, they set fire to the premises to destroy any evidence.
One of the two men was, however, caught by a worker from an adjacent shoplot when he saw the two men running from the scene.
The owner of the moneylending outlet, K. Saravanan, 45, said the thieves entered the outlet along Jalan Masai Utama 2 at around 11.30am yesterday, pretending to be customers.
“Once they were in the shoplot office, they pulled out a hammer and threatened two of my staff members.
“They forced my workers to open a safe at the office and took the money before setting fire to the shoplot to destroy any evidence that they may have left behind,” Saravanan told reporters.
He said that by a stroke of luck, he happened to be returning to his office when the robbers were just about to flee.
“I chased after them but turned back when my workers started screaming for help as the fire was gutting my shop,” he said, adding that his neighbour, who was alerted by the commotion, gave chase and helped to bring down one of the robbers.
Saravanan said that lucky for him, the money was with the robber who was caught.
“The other robber escaped but now I still have to deal with the damage from the fire,” he said, adding that he estimated his losses at RM100,000.
Those who have information pertaining to the attempted robbery are urged to contact the Johor police hotline at 07-2212999 or visit the nearest police station.
