A nine-year-old girl was unknowingly taken away by a car thief after her mother briefly stepped out of the vehicle to ask for directions.
The incident, shared by the victim’s sister on social media, sparked widespread attention online.
Drove the car away with girl still inside
According to the Sin Chew Daily, the incident happened at about 6.40pm yesterday (Oct 21) in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, when her mother stopped her car and got out to seek directions.
An unidentified male suspect immediately entered the vehicle and sped off, with the young girl still inside.
The girl reportedly cried and shouted throughout the journey, prompting the suspect to eventually stop the car and abandon her by the roadside.
She was later able to seek help from a security guard, who allowed her to use a phone to contact her father. The girl escaped unharmed, though the family fears she may experience emotional trauma from the ordeal.
Maybe he only wanted to steal the car, or maybe he thought of abducting her. But because my sister kept crying and making noise, he threw her out of the car,” the sibling wrote online.
It is understood that the mother and daughter were on their way back to Penang Island and got lost before stopping to ask for directions.
The suspect then seized the opportunity to jump in and flee with the vehicle.
The child was believed to have been dropped off near an apartment area in Kampung Jawa, where she found a security guard and contacted her family.
Car recovered, suspect arrested
This morning, police located the abandoned stolen vehicle about 20km away in Simpang Ampat, where it reportedly ran out of fuel.
Officers at the scene subsequently arrested a man in his 50s who arrived carrying two 500ml petrol containers to allegedly refuel the stolen car.
When questioned, he claimed he had been instructed by a female friend to buy petrol for the vehicle and even displayed a car remote key to officers. However, he failed to produce any identification documents and was immediately detained for further investigation.
An eyewitness reported spotting the car as early as 1am, saying she kept an eye on it out of suspicion but did not see anyone inside.
Police investigations are ongoing.
