Re: JB Crimewatch
Family robbed in wee hours of the morning.
JOHOR BARU: A 68-YEAR-OLD grandmother and her three grandchildren were allegedly tied up by four men armed with machete during a robbery at their home early on Wednesday morning.
Tan Jim Lam, 68, and her grandchildren had their hands tied with electrical cords, while the four men ransacked their double-storey terrace house during the 2.30am incident at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah.
Fortunately, Tan and her grandchildren -- Teo Chee Hui, 21, Teo Jing Yi, 19, and Teo Zhi Yong, 13, -- were not hurt in the incident. The assailants fled the scene an hour later taking with them RM20,000 worth of jewellery, cash and other valuables.
In a police report, the family claimed the assailants were armed with machete, steel cutter and spanner. They also had something that resembled a revolver.
The assailants had broken the locks at the front door grille before entering the house. They entered Chee Hui's room first, and held a machete to his neck while asking him to give up his money and valuables.
The assailants then moved to the other bedrooms and ransacked them, before bundling the four family members into Tan's bedroom.
The four victims' hands were tied with an electrical cord cut out from a fan.
"It was a frightening experience as the four men tied all of us. They asked us to be quiet, and we did not fight back. At that moment, I only thought about my grandchildren's safety.
"I am grateful that no one was hurt," said Tan, adding that the assailants had driven off in a white car.
The children's single-parent father, Teo Han Leong, 48, who was away at a friend's house, rushed to the house after being informed of the incident.
Meanwhile, Jing Yi said she was grateful that the assailants did not take a gold bracelet which she hid in her mouth, after she was awakened during the incident.
"It was a birthday present from my mother last month. Fortunately, I managed to keep it in my mouth throughout the ordeal," said Jing Yi.
Her elder brother, Chee Hui, said this was the fourth time the house had been broken into in the past 20 years.
The family had installed a security alarm but it was not activated.
Meanwhile, Johor Baru Utara police chief Assistant Commissioner Ruslan Hassan said police have put the case under high-priority following the events that led to the robbery.
"Initial investigations have led us to believe that the suspects are a new armed gang that specialises in breaking into the homes and robbing victims in the wee hours of the morning," said Ruslan.
"Police have also put out an all-points bulletin to police units in the district following the case," he said, adding that police will also increase patrols in the area.
