Elderly Couple In Ipoh Loses S$7.6K In 3 Burglaries In Same Month
Everyone wants their home to be a place where they — and their valuable belongings — can be safe.
Unfortunately, one elderly couple in Malaysia had a nightmarish experience when their house was robbed thrice in just one month.
They lost personal documents and about RM26,000 (S$7,600) worth of valuables and cash to burglars.
Now, they are understandably living in fear of the next break-in.
Couple in Ipoh falls victim to 3 burglaries in 3 weeks
According to The Star, 71-year-old Chan Liew Chan and her 80-year-old husband Tou Kum Hin had their home broken into three times in three weeks.
The couple, who lives in Taman Ria Bercham in Ipoh, experienced the first burglary on 2 May.
Unfortunately, the robbers managed to make off with jewellery and money in their first break-in attempt.
The elderly pair only realised their home had been ransacked when they woke up the next day.
Source: Yuanlee on Flickr, for illustration purposes only
On 11 May, the couple experienced their second break-in of the month.
They believe that the same burglars from the first incident were responsible for this one as well.
This time, however, they started becoming more daring, removing the sliding front door and “[turning] the place upside down”.
Source: Toa Heftiba on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only
The elderly couple, who was in their ground-floor room, did not dare to go out as they were “terrified” by all the noise the robbers were making.
Madam Chan shared that the burglars had also tried to break into their room, but were frightened away when she pounded on the door and shouted at them.
The burglars managed to get away with a pair of binoculars and RM1,000 (S$290).
Robbers used knife to threaten couple during 3rd break-in
Unfortunately, things only got worse for the couple.
On 24 May, the burglars returned again — and became even more brazen.
According to Madam Chan, two armed masked men kicked open their bedroom door.
She recounted, “One of them pointed a knife at me and told me to be quiet, while another continued ransacking the house. I was pushed down to the floor and fractured my right knee”.
Souce: The Star
The couple lost personal documents, including their identity cards and credit cards, as well as mobile phones, a car key, a laptop, handbags, and a shaver in the third heist.
In total, they lost about RM26,000 (S$7,600) worth of items in the three robberies.
Residents urged to not be over-reliant on police
The Star reported that a press conference regarding the robberies was held at the couple’s house on Saturday (27 May).
Perak MCA public service and complaints bureau chief Low Guo Nan organised the event.
During the press conference, Madam Chan shared her hopes that the police would beef up patrols in the area.
She added that she has been unable to sleep well as the slightest sound would wake her up.
“I think it is important for everyone to install security measures in their houses,” she said. “I have just had a grille door and alarm system set up.”
In response, Mr Low warned residents to not be over-reliant on the police to ensure the safety of the neighbourhood.
They should be vigilant and ensure that their homes have adequate security measures in place.
While it can be easy to take safety and security for granted in Singapore, homes here are certainly not immune from similar incidents.
So let this serve as a timely reminder to put security measures in place to protect your home.
After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry.
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Featured image adapted from The Star.
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