Water purifier company worker gets jail, fined for stealing woman’s handbag

SHAH ALAM: A water purifier company employee who stole the handbag of a nine-month-pregnant woman, prompting the victim to give chase for 50 metres, has been sentenced to eight months in jail, starting today.

Mohamad Amirul Shafiq Abdullah, 22, was also fined RM1,500, in default of three months’ jail, by Magistrate Farah Rosnan.

The sentence was imposed after the accused pleaded guilty to stealing the handbag of a 37-year-old woman in a supermarket restroom in Section 23, Shah Alam, on April 29.

The charge, under Section 380 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Shah Alam Police chief ACP Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim, in a statement, confirmed that the victim, who was hospitalised earlier, has since been discharged. Both mother and her unborn child are reported to be in stable condition.

Media reports previously highlighted the pregnant woman’s determination as she chased the thief who had taken her handbag from the toilet door.

Members of the public responded to her cries for help, leading to the arrest of the suspect.