WOMEN living in Kepong have been advised to exercise heightened vigilance and secure their personal belongings, particularly undergarments, following a series of brazen thefts captured on surveillance cameras.
A man was filmed on separate occasions stealing female underwear from clotheslines at two different residential areas, with security footage clearly showing his actions.
According to China Press, the surveillance recordings show the suspect climbing over the gate of a targeted property before taking multiple pieces of underwear that had been left to dry on outdoor racks.
Dic Lai, an assistant to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng, confirmed that residents from both Taman Kepong and Taman Daya had filed complaints about the stolen items.
The incidents occurred on September 28 and October 3 respectively.
Speaking to the Chinese daily, Lai described the suspect’s modus operandi, explaining that the man was observed cycling through terraced housing areas during late-night hours before scaling gates to access properties.
Once inside, he would calmly browse through hanging clothes and select items before climbing back over the gate to leave.
The suspect wore a yellow shirt during both recorded incidents, and his facial features were clearly visible in the CCTV footage. Several residents have reportedly identified him as an individual frequently spotted loitering in the Jinjang Utara vicinity.
Lai noted that similar underwear thefts had been reported in Taman Kepong approximately six months earlier, though it remains unclear whether the same individual was responsible for those incidents.
Expressing concern over the targeting of intimate apparel hung within private residential compounds, Lai emphasised the troubling nature of such violations of personal space and privacy.
Two victims have already filed police reports regarding the thefts. Lai is urging anyone else who has experienced similar incidents to come forward and lodge reports as well, enabling police to gather more comprehensive evidence and enhance patrol presence in affected neighbourhoods.