A CAR thief was nabbed 272km away after he drove off in a Honda BRV with a five-year-old disabled child strapped in the back passenger seat earlier this morning.
State police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the incident occurred at Masjid Kampung Banggol, Pokok Sena, Tasek Gelugor, around 8pm yesterday.
The child was later found safely asleep in the car.
The incident unfolded when the father got out of the car which was parked in the parking lot of a mosque in Tasek Gelugor,
Butterworth to comfort his one-year-old daughter, who was crying.
As the father took the child out of the vehicle to comfort the toddler, the suspect rushed in and drove off without realising that
the other disabled child, was strapped in the back seat.
The father gave chase, but the suspect sped off.
He then lodged a report at the nearest police station, who issued a missing child alert.
Police mobilised their patrol cars and they searched the northern region trying to locate the stolen vehicle.
At 3:45am, an unmarked police car spotted the car at a petrol station in a Rest and Recreational area in Behrang, neighbouring Perak, some 272 km away.
They cornered the missing vehicle and noticed the child was fast asleep.
"When we asked him to open the door, the suspect refused and attempted to escape by reversing the vehicle, crashing into a police car behind him.
"Police broke the window of the vehicle, but the suspect resisted arrest," said Hamzah.
Police then overpowered him and the five-year-old boy was rescued unharmed.
Police obtained a four-day remand to facilitate investigations. Initial information revealed that the suspect, has 10 prior drug-related convictions.
Hamzah also reminded motorists not to leave their engines running when they exit their vehicles. - March 31, 2025
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