PETALING JAYA: If you fail, try again. A lone robber obviously lived by that motto. He tried robbing a goldsmith shop in Arau, Perlis on Monday afternoon but the effort yielded nothing.
Six hours later, he tried again, this time in Alor Star, Kedah, and he got away with loot worth RM200,000.
Police believe the man entered the jewellery store at the Chin Hin business centre in Arau at about 1.30pm, armed with an axe.
He then attempted to smash the bulletproof glass showcase but the glass held and he could not get his hands on the prize.
Arau police chief Supt Nanda Maarof said the man then fled the building in a car believed to be driven by an accomplice.
The store owner, who is a woman in her 50s, suffered a panic attack and had to be rushed to hospital.
It is believed that the man, frustrated by his failed attempt, tried again in another town.
At 7.30pm, an individual wearing the same clothes went to another goldsmith shop in the Alor Mengkudu Mydin shopping centre in Alor Star.
This time, his attempt was caught on video by bystanders and a close-circuit security camera at the shop.
The videos showed the robber with a full-face helmet walking into the store carrying a shoulder bag.
He dropped the bag to take out a shotgun while two female staff of the store looked on curiously.
When he pulled out the firearm and briefly pointed it at the women, they bolted in fear after triggering off a security alarm at the store.
The robber who appeared unperturbed by the din, shouldered his shotgun and whipped out an axe from his bag. He smashed the jewellery showcases before scooping out the gems and stuffing them into his bag, according to Kedah police chief Datuk Zainuddin Yaacob.
Nanda also said the robber was probably a staff of a security firm as the shotgun he carried was similar to those used by armed security guards.
