MARANG, MALAYSIA - A lame leg, a deformed left hand and a cross-eyed look. We would be forgiven for thinking, upon being told of a crime involving such a person, that he was the victim.

Not so. In this instance at least, the physically challenged man was the predator.

The man, said to be in his 40s or 50s, molested a 23-year-old salesgirl from Kampung Padang Limau Nipis, here, on Sunday.

The woman was alone in a textile shop when the man approached her.

Producing a welfare card, he asked for a donation.

After she had given him RM5 (S$2.06), he struck up a conversation with the woman and persuaded her to sit next to him.

He performed a coin trick before touching the victim's right thigh. He then touched her near the groin before grabbing her buttocks.

As the man got up to leave, he rubbed her abdomen, saying she would give birth to twins. That's when she realised she had been taken advantage of.

She later lodged a police report. Members of the public is advised to contact the police if they saw a man fitting the description.