NOW at Publika mall: Woman molested & robbed - CRIME DOWN?

KUALA LUMPUR- Another female executive was robbed and molested at the car park of the Publika Shopping Gallery in Solaris Dutamasa, here, on Tuesday, the second such incident reported at the complex in the past week.

The victim in this incident was a 26-year-old event management agency’s employee who was paying her parking ticket at a booth on Level B7 of the car park area at 3.45pm.

The woman, identified only as Lee was grabbed from behind before she was taken to an emergency staircase where she was groped by the suspect who then robbed of her Blackberry smart phone and RM150.

Her screams scared off the suspect, who was believed to be a Bangladeshi.

Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Zakaria Pagan said the suspect was identified as a former worker of a restaurant in the complex. The restaurant had closed down recently.

Zakaria said initial investigations revealed that the suspect had followed the victim and took the same lift to the car park.

“We believe that this was a crime of opportunity. He saw that the victim was alone and decided to strike. We know who he is and are looking for him,” he said.

Police raided a hostel nearby and found that the suspect, in his 20s, had packed his things and left.

Meanwhile, the victim told the New Straits Times yesterday that she was initially wary of the man but kept calm as the suspect was formally dressed and did not look suspicious at all.

“When we exited the lift, he turned left towards the parking lot while I turned the other way to pay my parking fee.

“I felt relieved when he went the other way and thought nothing of it until he suddenly appeared and grabbed me from behind,” she said.

Lee said after struggling with the suspect, she ran from the staircase and pressed the emergency alarm button near the lift.

However, when no one turned up, she ran into the parking area where she found two technicians and related to them what had happened. They then contacted the security department.

Last Friday, a 25-year-old woman was abducted in front of the Publika Shopping Gallery as she was about to get into her car about 11pm.

She was taken by three men to Templer’s Park in Rawang where she was robbed and abandoned.

Last Tuesday’s incident was the sixth reported attack at shopping mall car parks in the Klang Valley in the past two months.

- New Straits Times