Suspect nabbed a day after robbery bid in Tawau

KOTA KINABALU: A man has been arrested one day after he tried to rob a woman in a parking lot in Sabah’s east coast Tawau district.

The 38-year-old suspect was tracked down and cornered by a team from the district Crime Investigation Department (CID) at Kampung Tanjung Keramat at about 5.40pm on Monday (July 22).

“The suspect acted aggressively and struggled to escape arrest,” Tawau OCPD Asst Comm Jasmin Hussin said in a statement on Monday.

“The team, however, managed to restrain him,” he added.

A check on the suspect found he had been involved in housebreaking and drug-related cases previously.

The suspect will be probed under Section 393 of the Penal Code for attempted robbery, ACP Jasmin added.

He said that on Sunday (July 21), the suspect allegedly tried to rob a 32-year-old woman at a carpark behind a store on Jalan Pelabuhan.

The woman was about to enter her car when the suspect approached her, claiming she had a flat tyre.

The suspect then grabbed the woman in a chokehold and tried to steal her valuables.

The incident was caught on camera by a bystander and the woman is seen in the clip, which was circulated on social media, struggling with the suspect and sounding her car horn.

The suspect eventually gave up and fled the scene, ACP Jasmin added.

He advised the public to be aware of their surroundings at all times and thanked those who provided information that led to the suspect’s arrest.