Snatch thief beaten to death by villagers
KOTA BARU: One of two snatch thieves detained and beaten up by villagers after attempting to take a gold necklace from a 5-year-old girl at Dai Mulong here died two hours after admission to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital on Sunday night.
The 30-year-old from Tumpat, who suffered a fractured hand and injuries on the body, died at the hospital about 7.45pm.
State police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the victim's 28-year-old accomplice, who was also seriously injured in the incident, was still being treated at the same hospital and his condition was reportedly stable.
"The body of the deceased has been released to his family for burial. We are still carrying out investigations into the death under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder," Rahim said.
Both the suspects were said to be caught by villagers after they tried to snatch the necklace from the girl who was walking by the side of the road to her grandparents house at Kampung Belimbing Pendek in Kedai Mulong at 5.15pm
Rahim reminded the public not to take the law into their own hands when arresting suspects involved in crimes.
"They should contact us immediately and we will take the suspects into custody."
He called on witnesses of Sunday's incident to come forward to assist in their investigation.