Video of Malaysian influencer getting bag snatched by motorcyclist at petrol station goes viral

A case of snatch theft at a petrol station in Malaysia has gone viral after the victim posted footage of the incident online.

Taking to social media on Sunday (March 1), Malaysian influencer Cabi shared that she had lost all the valuables kept in her shoulder bag, and reminded others to be alert to their surroundings.

According to her, the theft occurred on Feb 10 at a Shell petrol station in Puchong Jaya, Selangor.

Dashcam footage taken from the vehicle behind her shows a motorcyclist glancing at Cabi, who was preparing to refuel her car, as he rides past her.

He returns less than a minute later as she was pumping petrol with her back turned to him. He then grabbed her bag and fled, pulling her down to the ground in the process. 

"I lost EVERYTHING — my phone, my wallet, my house keys and even my car keys LOL cuz my dumb a** decided to take the whole bag out (sic)," Cabi wrote in her post.

She subsequently lodged a police report.

@asiaone A woman in Malaysia shared on March 1 that she had become a victim of snatch theft at a petrol station in Puchong Jaya on Feb 10, just before Chinese New Year. A motorcyclist made two passes before stopping to reposition his vehicle and snatching her handbag while she was refuelling, causing her to fall. The stolen bag contained her phone, wallet, house keys and car key. She had a police report shortly after the incident. #MalaysiaNews #Malaysia #PublicSafety #theft #motorcycle ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

The clip has been viewed over six million times on Instagram and over 800,000 times on TikTok.

While some netizens expressed concern for Cabi's well-being, an online debate over whether the bag should have been left in the car emerged.

"Why does someone pump petrol with their purse on," an Instagram user asked.

"Careless," said a netizen on TikTok.

Commenters also accused others of "victim-blaming".

One TikTok user wrote: "It's not blaming the victim, it's questioning her choice of bringing her bag out in the open? You can't change crime, especially in Malaysia or anywhere. It will always happen, only difference is we need to be more vigilant and aware."

Conversely, a number of netizens argued that the criticism should be on the motorcyclist who had committed a crime.

"Stop acting like it's her fault for wearing her bag. The only reason a robbery happens is because someone chose to rob," said a user on Instagram.

"I look forward to a future where I can step out in broad daylight, carry my bag freely and feel safe doing the most normal things."

Another Instagram user also said they been advised to carry their bag with them "in case someone smashes your car window and take the bag".

"Then now that I've seen this, should the bag be in the car instead?"

'Let’s not normalize victim blaming'

In a follow-up video on March 2, Cabi hit back at the "many comments" which she said were "just plain rude and calling me names".

"Why does me holding my bag need more justification than the guy committing the actual crime?" she asked.

"You wanna know why I was holding my bag? Cuz i look cute with it. (sic)" she quipped. 

Cabi added that she appreciated the netizens who left sound advice: "Let's not normalise victim blaming and hope for a safer community instead." 

She also said in a separate post on March 2 that she had blocked her bank cards and replaced her car keys and identity card, though there have purportedly been no updates from the police on the investigation.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com