KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 — A housewife who was caught shoplifting food for her children was today given food aid personally delivered in a surprise visit and act of kindness by the Petaling Jaya police chief.

Petaling Jaya police chief Asst Comm Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said a hypermarket’s security guards had caught the woman in her 30s when attempting to leave without paying for the food and fever relief pads for her son who was ill, with the police notified of this yesterday via a police report.

Believing that the woman needed assistance, the Petaling Jaya police then proceeded to help the family out.

"So we went over to the hypermarket and asked about what she tried to take and we bought it all and went to visit her at her flat,” he was quoted saying by local daily The Star, adding that the police also delivered a care package from the Social Welfare Department.

Nik Ezanee reportedly said that the woman’s son was recovering well from his fever yesterday.

The Star also reported Nik Ezanee as saying that the police had spoken to the woman and discovered that the family was struggling to make ends meet, as the husband who is a technician for elevator maintenance does not have work currently.

Nik Ezanee reportedly said that he believed the woman had shoplifted due to these circumstances, and that the police had placed her case under "no further action” while also advising her to not turn to crime but could instead approach the police for help in the future.

The Star also reported Nik Ezanee as stating that there are many ways where aid can be obtained, including from soup kitchens, non-governmental organisations, Social Welfare Department, as well as zakat aid which he said is available for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Separately, Berita Harian reported that the woman is a mother of three children and is facing difficulties as her husband did not have work to do after the movement control order (MCO) was imposed, noting that the total value of items that she had attempted to shoplift was RM58 — including sausages, pandan cake and fever relief pads.

Berita Harian quoted Nik Ezanee as saying that he had ordered the woman’s case to be closed after putting it under the "no further action” category, and that he had advised her not to repeat her errors and to seek help in the future from zakat centres, the Social Welfare Department or nearby mosques or to even approach police stations in Petaling Jaya if she still failed to obtain aid.

In a brief video of around six minutes posted on the Petaling Jaya police’s Facebook page, Nik Ezanee was seen making the visit to a public housing flat located in Petaling Jaya to personally deliver items purchased by the police and also contributions from the Social Welfare Department that included a pack of rice.

In the video, Nik Ezanee observed that adults would usually be able to withstand their hunger, but that it would be a different matter if it was their children that were hungry.

After delivering the food aid, Nik Ezanee in the video clip urged Malaysians to be aware of others who are facing greater difficulties than them during the MCO and to help others where possible.

"In this MCO, it challenges us a lot. There are many among us who always complain, they cannot understand why the police do roadblocks, why the police closes roads, why there are jams, many cannot understand, actually it’s not just you who are facing hardships, there are others who face greater hardships.

"During the MCO, we want to fight the virus, many are affected, frontliners, public, at all levels, so let’s sacrifice a little, bear with it a little, sacrifice a little for the sake of the future,” he said in the video clip.

Also posted on the Petaling Jaya police’s Facebook page were brief descriptions of the Petaling Jaya police headquarters’ and Social Welfare Department’s compassionate act of donating food and daily necessities to the housewife to encourage her to continue to stay strong in facing challenges in life throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also included in the Facebook posts were sayings such as "One good deed a day” and "It takes so little to do just that, and yet few people utilise this world-changing ability. Just one good deed a day.”

Included in the Facebook posts were photographs of Nik Ezanee paying for several items, including a large tray of eggs, packs of sausages, cakes, and fever relief pads.