By DESIREE TRESA GASPER
The Star/Asia News Network
Sunday, Aug 26, 2012
JOHOR BARU, Malaysia - A housewife was slashed by two thieves who posed as Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) officials and entered her house on the pretext of wanting to check her electricity meter.
T. Sundaravadivu, 39, who suffered injuries to her right hand, managed to escape and the thieves left empty-handed during the incident at her home in Taman Megah Ria at 3pm on Friday.
Recalling the incident, she said the two men rang the doorbell and said they wanted to inspect the meter.
"The meter faces inside and it has always been the norm for TNB officials to request that I open the front gate so they can get a reading," she said in an interview.
One of the men, identified as Mohd Nizam, told me that they needed to change my meter.
"I began to suspect something amiss and asked them to show me their badges," she said, adding that the men told her that they were only contract workers and did not have official TNB badges.
Sundaravadivu then called her husband who told her to let them in as he had previously lodged a report with TNB after noticing an unusual hike in the electricity bill in July.
She added that she then reluctantly opened the main grille and one of the men stepped inside while the other remained on the porch.
"The man who was inside the house headed to the upper floor of my house to check the main fusebox," she said, adding that her instincts told her that something was not right and she quickly went and stood by the main door.
Sundaravadivu said that after inspecting the fusebox, the man came downstairs and suddenly took out a long parang and grabbed her hand.
"I panicked and screamed at the top of my voice," she said, adding that she quickly ran to her neighbour's house.
The two men then ran away on foot.
"It was only after a few minutes that I realised that my right hand had been slashed," she said, adding that neighbours brought her to a nearby hospital for treatment and later to lodge a police report.
Meanwhile, Seri Alam Deputy OCPD Supt Saifi Abd Hamid confirmed the case and urged anyone with information to contact the Johor police hotline at 07-221 2999.
"Residents should ensure TNB personnel carry proper identification and are driving TNB-registered vehicles," he said.
The Star/Asia News Network
Sunday, Aug 26, 2012
JOHOR BARU, Malaysia - A housewife was slashed by two thieves who posed as Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) officials and entered her house on the pretext of wanting to check her electricity meter.
T. Sundaravadivu, 39, who suffered injuries to her right hand, managed to escape and the thieves left empty-handed during the incident at her home in Taman Megah Ria at 3pm on Friday.
Recalling the incident, she said the two men rang the doorbell and said they wanted to inspect the meter.
"The meter faces inside and it has always been the norm for TNB officials to request that I open the front gate so they can get a reading," she said in an interview.
One of the men, identified as Mohd Nizam, told me that they needed to change my meter.
"I began to suspect something amiss and asked them to show me their badges," she said, adding that the men told her that they were only contract workers and did not have official TNB badges.
Sundaravadivu then called her husband who told her to let them in as he had previously lodged a report with TNB after noticing an unusual hike in the electricity bill in July.
She added that she then reluctantly opened the main grille and one of the men stepped inside while the other remained on the porch.
"The man who was inside the house headed to the upper floor of my house to check the main fusebox," she said, adding that her instincts told her that something was not right and she quickly went and stood by the main door.
Sundaravadivu said that after inspecting the fusebox, the man came downstairs and suddenly took out a long parang and grabbed her hand.
"I panicked and screamed at the top of my voice," she said, adding that she quickly ran to her neighbour's house.
The two men then ran away on foot.
"It was only after a few minutes that I realised that my right hand had been slashed," she said, adding that neighbours brought her to a nearby hospital for treatment and later to lodge a police report.
Meanwhile, Seri Alam Deputy OCPD Supt Saifi Abd Hamid confirmed the case and urged anyone with information to contact the Johor police hotline at 07-221 2999.
"Residents should ensure TNB personnel carry proper identification and are driving TNB-registered vehicles," he said.
