Police have been accused of turning down a couple who came to report a hold-up at knife-point at their sundry shop in Kampung Ayer Bemban in Kulai, Johor, last Friday.

Their 31-year-old daughter, Pang Sheue Chyn, said two masked robbers broke into the shop in the afternoon and demanded money from her mother, Soh Sew Tim, 61.

Soh's screams had alerted her husband, Pang Su Sin, 71, who was taking a nap at the back of the shop. He rushed to the front, and had a parang brandished at his throat.

"One of the robbers asked for the money, in Malay, but since my mum wasn't fluent in speaking the language, she just pointed to the cash register and begged them not to harm anybody," Sheue Chin said when contacted today.

The robbers fled soon after, taking about RM500 in cash with them.

However, the couple's hearts sank when three police personnel who came to investigate, some time after the local station was called, advised the couple against lodging a report, stating it would be troublesome for "an old couple" to do so.

Daughter angry with the police

"I have never heard of such a thing happening before. I am angry with the police (for what they told my parents)," Sheue Chin said.

"When you tell old people these things, they wouldn't know what to do. It is very irresponsible of the police to tell them that when they should be more professional."

Sheue Chin's, sister accompanied Pang to lodge a report at the Air Bemban police station the same day. After providing details of the robbery, the officer-in-charge apologised to them for the ill-advice the officers had given the day before.

"The officer asked my father if he could identify the officers who came to the shop, but my father had been in such a state of panic then that he said he couldn't remember much," Sheue Chin said.

She then took the matter up with Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, who in turn approached the Kulaijaya district police chief about the matter.

However, the OCPD denied such an occurrence took place, and a baffled Teo told Sheue Chin that she too had not heard of a case where a police officer had refused a citizen's right to lodge a report.

"My parents don't wish to follow up on the case. My mum isn't angry with the police for what they said to them, because she believes the police had willingly come to their help."

These feelings of gratitude do not carry over to Sheue Chin, for she is still seething over the inaction of the police.

'Complainant misunderstood the police'

Meanwhile, Kulaijaya OCPD Supt Zulkefly Yahya denied that his men had advised Pang against lodging a report, saying Pang had misunderstood them.

"The father misunderstood us. We advised him to lodge a report, but he wanted to wait for his son to come back as he did not understand Malay," Zulkefly said when contacted today.

Pang and Soh have two daughters and a son.

However, Sheue Chin refuted this claim of Zulkefly, saying there was "no mention of a misunderstanding", and reiterated that her father had been asked whether he was able to identify the alleged errant police personnel.

Sheue Chin works with Malaysiakini , as an executive in the subscriptions unit.

Her family is among many others who have fallen victim to crime, including several staff members of Malaysiakini.