A vehicle owner in Malaysia experienced an unpleasant surprise when his windscreen wipers were tampered with in Johor Bahru on 21 September. In a Facebook post on the Permas百万镇情报站 page, user Liang Boon shared videos showing a man damaging and removing his windscreen wipers at 11:13 am. The incident took place in the car park of AEON Mall Bukit Indah in Taman Bukit Indah while the car was left unattended.
Background
The footage shared by Liang Boon reveals a man meddling with the front right windscreen wiper blade, bending it to cause damage before putting it back. A rear camera captured the same man, accompanied by a woman, attempting to remove the rear wiper blade. The woman watched as the man used both hands to completely dislodge the rear wiper. Liang mentioned in a comment that he was at the location to shop and have lunch with his family and had signalled that he was not leaving, although it is unclear if this was communicated directly to the pair. Liang also confirmed that the car is a Malaysia-registered vehicle.
Man and woman hovered in front of car, took wipers off
In one of the videos, the man’s hands are seen lifting and tampering with the front right windscreen wiper blade. He bent the front half of the blade, seemingly to damage it, before putting it back in place. The rear camera footage shows the man and woman, both dressed in black, hovering behind the car. The woman watched as the man used one hand to attempt to remove the rear wiper blade before using both hands to completely dislodge it. The pair then left the scene.
Netizen reactions
The act elicited mixed reactions among Facebook users. Some condemned the man’s actions, calling the pair “cheapskates” for appearing to steal a wiper. Others speculated that they had attempted to damage, not steal, the wipers.
Additional information
This incident highlights the ongoing issue of vehicle vandalism in public car parks. While some netizens expressed outrage, others pointed out the need for better security measures in such areas. The footage serves as a reminder for vehicle owners to be vigilant and for authorities to enhance surveillance to prevent similar incidents in the future.
