Boutique owner robbed of RM50,000 in valuables

A group of parang-wielding robbers walked into a bridal boutique and tied up the owner, even telling her that they had been eyeing the place before ransacking it.

“They mentioned that they have been monitoring our movements for the past seven months and that they know our daily routine,” shop owner S. Saraswathi, 42, said.

The robbers ransacked her shop and her house, which is located nearby, and stole RM50,000 in jewellery and valuables.

They entered the shop in Taman Skudai Indah at 1pm yesterday on the pretext of enquiring about the services available.

Saraswathi, a mother of four, was tied, blindfolded and gagged with a saree before the suspects took her house keys and car, and rushed to her nearby house in Jalan Skudai Ria which is about 300m away.

“I managed to free myself and contacted my husband to seek help,” she said.

She added that the robbers also threatened to burn down her house if she did not comply.

Saraswathi said her husband called the police and discovered that the robbers took away about RM50,000 in jewellery, mobile phones and other valuables.

Johor Baru Utara police chief Asst Comm Ruslan Hassan said the robbers also tied up Saraswathi's 14-year-old son at the home.