http://news.asiaone.com/news/crime/couple-fearful-after-losing-handbag-during-smash-and-grab-jb
Ms Fie, 41, a property agent, and her husband, who only wanted to be known as Mr Muka, 42, had gone to Johor Baru via the Causeway on Tuesday, 3rd September with their younger daughter, Angel, to shop at a Giant supermarket.
They were in the car when two men on a motorcycle smashed the front passenger side window and snatched a handbag containing Ms Fie's identity card and the keys to their Bukit Batok flat.
Mr Muka, who was driving, had stopped at a red traffic light at Jalan Tebrau at about 5.45pm when a motorcycle pulled up next to the front passenger window.
The next thing Ms Fie knew, the window had shattered and someone had grabbed her handbag. It happened so fast that it took her a moment to realise.
Ms Fie later recalled that she had seen the men on the motorcycle overtaking their car earlier, before slowing down. The motorbike then stopped before a bus stop, and their car passed it before stopping at the traffic light with two cars ahead of them.
Ms Fie said she was sitting with her gold Kate Spade handbag, which she had bought three weeks ago, at her feet when she heard a bang to her left. She turned and saw the glass window cracking before shattering into tiny pieces.
When they checked the video footage from their in-car camera, less than five seconds had passed from the time the window shattered to the thieves fleeing.
Mr Muka said he wanted to chase them, but Ms Fie said she stopped him as she was worried that they could be part of a gang and he might get hurt. "In a way, I thank God they only wanted my money," she said.
Her handbag contained $200 and RM250 (S$97). Fortunately, their passports were in Mr Muka's small sling bag.
The family stopped at a nearby petrol station and an attendant there called the police. Two police cars later escorted them to the Central Police Station, where they made a report.
They also went through their in-car camera footage with the police. The footage showed that the motorcycle had been trailing them for about 1km.
"They were 'window shopping', looking into every car, and glanced into ours twice. They weren't only targeting Singapore-registered cars, they looked into Malaysian cars as well," said Mr Muka.
Ms Fie said they have been taking precautions of late, locking their car whenever they stopped, even when just getting petrol. But the couple are giving up on their trips to Malaysia for now.
"If we do go, it will be by convoy, with other family members travelling with us, so at least they will be there if something happens," Ms Fie said.
"We want to let Singaporeans know this is happening - it's not only pedestrians who can get their things snatched. It can happen even in a car at a traffic light, in broad daylight."
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