5-6-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) Napisah Muhammad, a 66-year-old retired teacher, found herself at the center of a daring daylight carjacking in Kuantan, Malaysia. The harrowing ordeal unfolded at a petrol station, where Napisah had just returned to her car after using the restroom, waiting for her husband and daughter.
At approximately 3:10 pm on Monday, June 3, a man seized an opportunity that would send shockwaves through the town. As Napisah settled into the front passenger seat, the suspect hopped into the driver’s seat and sped off, leaving the elderly woman scrambling to escape the moving vehicle.
Napisah recounted the chilling moments, “He held my shoulder tight and kept on saying ‘kau diam’ (keep quiet).” Refusing to comply, the mother of two opened the door, threw her handbag out, and yelled for help, alerting her daughter, Norharlina Mohamed, who had stepped away to use the restroom.
As the carjacker drove off, Napisah attempted to leap from the moving car, losing her slipper in the process. “When the man realized that I was turning aggressive, he slowed down and pushed me out, shouting ‘kau nak keluar, kau berambus’ (you want to go out, you get lost). Before stepping out, I managed to grab my daughter’s handbag,” she recounted.
Napisah’s cries for help did not go unheeded, as several motorists honked and even gave chase, but the suspect managed to escape. Her daughter, Norharlina, witnessed the terrifying scene unfold and immediately pursued the carjacker on foot.
In the wake of the incident, Kuantan police chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu provided crucial details. The family had stopped at the petrol station to refuel and use the restroom, leaving their red Honda sedan idling near the toilet. CCTV footage revealed the suspect’s arrival on a stolen motorcycle with false registration plates, suggesting a premeditated act.
The family’s belongings, left in the car, were later found strewn by the roadside. However, in a swift response, the suspect was apprehended in Bentong, approximately 160 km away from the petrol station, on Wednesday morning. Reports indicate that the individual is an ex-convict in his 40s.
Napisah, a resident of Kuala Lumpur, expressed her disbelief, stating, “Each time we travel here, we will stop at the same petrol station. It will usually be our last stop before entering the highway.” She cautioned, “Such incidents can happen anywhere, so it is best to be a little extra careful, especially those with young children.”
