PENANG, MALAYSIA — A group of road users were shocked to witness a dramatic daylight “car robbery” on Wednesday right before their eyes.
A young Chinese man was forcibly dragged out of his car in the middle of the road, and the vehicle was driven away.
Video footage recorded by witnesses of the incident that quickly circulated online, shows that the incident took place in Butterworth at a traffic junction on Bagan Lallang Road toward Kampung Sungai Puyu.
According to Malaysian Chinese media outlet Oriental Daily News, ACP Mohd Asri Shafie, the Butterworth North police chief, stated during a press conference on Thursday morning that the police have not yet received any relevant information on the “car robbery” case.
From the video, it can be seen that two individuals, one wearing a blue jacket and the other wearing a helmet, attempted to forcefully open the vehicle’s door and dragged the young man out of his car.
During the struggle, the young man tried to confront the individual in the blue jacket. Meanwhile, one of them entered the vehicle and attempted to drive it away.
The motorcyclist who appeared to be recording the video asked the young man, “What happened?” The young man then claimed that his car had been robbed, leading to the motorcycles chasing after the stolen vehicle.
However, the car narrowly avoided colliding with a nearby cyclist as it made a sudden left turn at the traffic lights and escaped the scene.
While there are rumours suggesting that the incident may involve an illegal loan shark reclaiming the car forcibly due to alleged payment defaults, others have pointed out that authorized debt collectors are required to show their identification to the debtor before proceeding to take possession of the vehicle.
“When dealing with car or motorcycle repossession, if we encounter the owner of the vehicle, we will show our ID. However, it’s uncertain if this is followed outside. The use of force is prohibited unless initiated by the owner.”
“This is no longer a car repossession… This is car robbery. Car repossession/tow truck operators who don’t follow the law will have their licenses revoked and face legal consequences.”
Under Malaysia’s Penal Code Section 392, whoever commits robbery shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years, and he shall also be liable to fine or to whipping.
Under the “Fair Debt Collection Practices” guideline issued by Bank Negara Malaysia, debt collecting agents must not use improper methods or any form of harassment when contacting the debtor.
