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Southeast Asia
Jewellery shopowner keeps acid in outlets
2006-01-10
Hat tip to the Interested Participant. I don't agree with this, but I understand the frustration of a shopowner.
A proprietor keeps acid in all his 16 jewellery outlets in Perak instead of employing security guards. N.G. Mohamed Ismail, whose shop in Jalan Pasar, Taiping, was robbed on Friday said the reason was purely economic. “It only costs me about RM20 to buy a bottle of acid,'' he said yesterday.

On whether the items he lost estimated to be worth more than RM500,000 were insured, Mohamed Ismail said they were not. “I would have to pay RM60,000 annually for the insurance coverage,” said Mohamed Ismail who has been in the jewellery business for the past 50 years.

He said that had it not being for his daughter, Siti Alishah, 23, and his sister-in-law Siti Aishah, 47, who splashed acid on the robbers, he would have lost more. Siti Alishah said she splashed acid on one of them when he looked up while scooping jewellery items from the display counter. “He immediately covered his face with his hands before fleeing into a car parked outside the shop,” said Siti Alishah.

At about the same time, Siti Aishah had also splashed acid on another robber, also on the face. “I saw part of his mask disintegrating when the acid hit his face,'' said Siti Aishah, adding that the robber also fled from the shop but their accomplice managed to grab a bag filled with jewellery. As the three robbers were fleeing, Siti Alishah’s mother, Siti Rahmah Abdullah, 47, gave chase and hit one of the robbers with a big cane. “But the robber caught hold of the cane and punched me on my face,” said Siti Rahmah.

The armed robbers had some five minutes earlier entered the shop while an accomplice waited in a black Proton Waja.

Larut Matang and Selama deputy OCPD Supt Syed A. Wahab Syed A. Majid said the car had been found near a petrol station here later in the night but declined to disclose details. No suspects had been detained.
Posted by:Steve White

#2  Jim: I'd put the acid in some kind of squirter, say an acid-proof plastic, power squirt gun. You could paint one of those sumbitches so quick...
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-01-10 10:10  

#1  So, once again the honest folk can't get guns for protection.
At the mercy of thugs?
Yes use any means available, I'd use a Ceremonial Japanese Sword myself, You know, just hanging there behind the counter for decoration, of course.
Let's see the robber grab it, after losing part of his hand he'll think twice next time.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-01-10 08:41  

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