Low Yat telephone theft: Witness saw accused fled with phone

An employee of a telephone shop at the Low Yat Plaza told the Magistrate's Court today that he had turned his back to get a free gift for a customer when the later fled with a Lenovo handphone.

See Ming Ho, a former employee of Techasia Boutique, said he turned to get the free gift after Shahrul Anuar Abdul Aziz agreed with the price offered for the handphone.

"When I turned back, I saw him took the handphone and fled towards the escalator. I shouted "thief' three times and then saw him fell (on the escalator," he added.

See, 27, was testifying in the first day trial of Shahrul Anuar, 22, who is charged with stealing a handphone, worth RM800, at Techasia Boutique, Low Yat Plaza, Bukit Bintang, at 4.47 pm on July 11 this year.

Shahrul Anuar, who is unemployed, is charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code and faces an imprisonment for up to 10 years and fine, if found guilty.

See said he then went to the ground floor and saw employees from other telephone shops having apprehended the accused. (Techasia Boutique is on the upper ground floor).

He said a security guard then came and took the accused to the security room.

"In the security room, I asked the accused to return the handphone, the man said he did not have it," he said, adding that he then lodged a police report on the incident.

Questioned by the prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutor S. Malini Anne, how could he be certain that it was the accused who stole the handphone, See said it was because he (See) hand handed the handphone to him and saw him (accused) holding the handphone when he fled.

Cross-examined by lawyer Nur Hayati Don Omar, representing Shahrul Anuar, See agreed with the counsel that the location at Techasia Boutique was crowded, but did not agree that anyone could just take the handphone and walk away.

To a question by another counsel, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, See said he did not see the handphone when he got to the place where Shahrul Anuar fell from the escalator.

"I saw him running down the escalator and then fell. At that time, the handphone was with him. It was only after he fell (it was missing)," he said, adding that the place was crowded then.

Besides Nur Hayati and Abdul Aziz, Shahrul Anuar is also represented by lawyers Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz and Mohammad Yahya Zakaria.

The hearing before Magistrate Nur'Aminahtul Mardiah Md Nor continues tomorrow.