The Incident and Some Lessons Learnt

What happened at this time last Wednesday was that my dear boyfriend had the misfortune of getting mugged.

This time, you can read about what happened from the man himself. Some of the tips given may seem common, but you’d be surprised how many people actually take their safety for granted and couldn’t be bothered to be extra vigilant. All I can say is that I am so grateful that he is safe, and unhurt, save for some slight paranoia now on my part and his. All the same, thank God it wasn’t anything worse.

Below, an excerpt of his story to his colleagues, who were very supportive of him in every way:

Yes, I got mugged. At 10pm, parked outside my girlfriend’s house. I’m working from home today and you won’t get to hear my story in person till I return in another 2 weeks, so here is the gist. 

 

At 10pm, I got into my car to leave, shut the door already. Then I heard a motor suddenly pick up speed and it stopped behind my car. I couldn’t see them ‘coz it was behind me, but instantly I knew what was about to happen. I tried quickly to lock my door (Proton Waja), but failed to do so before one of them managed to open my door and threaten me with a parang in front of my face, asking for the usual stuff. The rest is history, as they say. He got what he wanted, hopped on to the waiting bike, and the two of them sped off.  

Guys, we live in troubled times, where humans resort to acts of violence devoid of any sense of human decency. It’s finally happened to me, and now it’s become real to me. If it’s not happened to you yet, thank God for that, and just know that it is real. I don’t mean to instill fear and paranoia, but please be vigilant. Being bitten hard once like that, I kinda am still going thru the last couple of days in paranoia, so forgive me if I suggest the following measures to help you stay vigilant:

1. Make it a habit to watch for your surroundings before you get in and out of your car.

2. Make it a habit to get in and out of your car quickly.  

 

3. Make it a habit to lock your car immediately. In the anxious moments, it’s easy to fumble while doing a simple thing like locking your car door. Worse, if your lock is a lousy ‘slow’ design like Proton Waja where you have to feel for your lock in the dark.

 

4. Reverse park if possible, so that you are not ambushed from behind where you can’t see, and also so that you can speed off immediately, just in case.

 

5. Carry your cash (large notes at least), IC, driving license in a money clip or a really flat holder in your pocket, separate from your usual obvious wallet holding all your other cards, receipts etc. That way if you ever get mugged, you just pass them your wallet. After the incident, just call your credit card companies to block your ATM and credit cards and you lose no/little money. (The wallet that you ‘give’ them, better also to ensure there isn’t any identification of your house address).

   

6. Park in well-lighted areas.

 

7. If you have to park in secluded areas, always have company when getting to your car.