Woman who called 999 told to call 'operations room' during robbery

PETALING JAYA: A woman in Rawang is crying foul as she was told to call the "Bilik Gerakan" (operations room) when she contacted the 999 emergency hotline while her home was being broken into by three masked men last week.

In a viral Facebook post, Thivyah Veelurajan said the incident occurred at about 2.30am on Aug 5 when the armed robbers broke into her home.

"I immediately called the 999 hotline at 2.37am but to my dismay, I was told to call the Bilik Gerakan number instead.

"Apparently we should have called Bilik Gerakan so that they could have taken immediate action. How many of you know what's Bilik Gerakan or their number? If you don't, better figure it out now because 999 isn't the best contact point during emergency according to the authorities, " she said in the post, which has been shared at least 1, 800 times.

In the midst of this unbelievable "discovery", she said that she heard the screams of her mother, aunt and grandmother.

"I saw the robbers assaulting my family. In the end, we gave all we had and the robbers escaped by car 45 minutes after breaking into my home, " she said.

Thivyah added that she made the first call at 2.37am, and said that her sister made another call a few minutes later.

"I made one at 3.30am, during which the operator said I might have given the wrong address. Did my sister give the wrong one too?

"The emergency responders only came to our aid at 3.30am. I saw your police car at the end of our street. You saw the robbers escaping with my car. They got into my car right before your very eyes! They drove pass your car. The lights were not switched on. Why didn't you chase them, " she said.

Thivyah added that it was disheartening to get help approximately one hour after the incident even though the Rawang police station is eight minutes away from her house.

"I want to find out the standard operating procedure for the 999 hotline.This post is not to offend anyone. I met amazing police officers right after the incident, who are doing a great job.

"However, this faulty system (999) needs to be rectified! Prevention is better than cure, " she said, adding that her father suffered multiple slash wounds while her mother and aunt were also assaulted.

When contacted, Gombak OCPD Asst Comm Samsor Maarof said he will look into the matter.

"I will check with my men on the ground as soon as possible. Our priority is always the safety and security of the people, " he said.- Star