KUALA LUMPUR (The Star) - The man who savagely attacked a woman at the Taman Mutiara MRT station in Cheras on Valentine’s Day has been arrested.
City police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said the suspect was arrested at a house in Taman Cheras at around 8.10pm yesterday.
“The 26-year-old suspect will be remanded to help with further investigations,” he said, adding that the case was being probed under Section 394 of the Penal Code for causing hurt during a robbery.
Police are also investigating whether the suspect has a criminal record.
Earlier, Comm Mazlan said the suspect had robbed a nearby supermarket prior to the incident.
“Based on CCTV footage, we discovered that the suspect had robbed the supermarket at 6.30am on the same day.
“He then saw the victim walking to the MRT station and followed her before assaulting and robbing her,” he told reporters.
The victim, a 48-year-old woman, suffered multiple injuries, including bruises on her forehead, after she was brutally attacked by the robber in a lift at about 6.45am.
A CCTV recording that went viral showed the woman entering the lift followed by the man, who then punched and kicked her repeatedly.
The assailant escaped with her MyKad, ATM cards and RM400 in cash.
A RM10,000 reward was offered to anyone who could offer information leading to the arrest of the robber.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said on Sunday that his office was offering the bounty on behalf of someone who was outraged by the incident.
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, the operator of RapidKL, said the company had stepped up security at its MRT stations following the brutal attack.
“Rapid KL passengers can request to be escorted to the parking lots if the area is quiet and if they need help,” it said in a statement.
It said those requiring such assistance could inform the customer service counters at any MRT, LRT, monorail or BRT station.
It added that it had taken additional precautions, including displaying CCTV visuals from within the elevator directly to staff on duty.
It said members of the Special Action Force (SAT) were also sent to several hotspots.
“The SAT team is a special unit set up by the Prasarana Securities Department and the officers are clad in plainclothes when patrolling,” it said.
The company also advised commuters to be alert in public spaces, including avoiding quiet places.
Prasarana condemned the robbery and said it was assisting the victim and police in arresting the assailant.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/02/19/cops-nab-mrt-lift-assa...
