AMPANG JAYA, MALAYSIA - It was 6am. Yeong Sheong Jeang was about to move his car parked in front of his house when he was attacked by parang-wielding men.

The 25-year-old sales engineer from Taman Kencana said he was about to start his Proton Waja when four men on two motorcycles approached from both sides of his car and started smashing the car's windows.

"They wanted my valuables but I told them that they were in the house. I told them that I had to look for my wallet and mobile phone.

"However, they got impatient and dragged me out of my seat through the window and started attacking me with their parang," said the traumatised Yeong.

Yeong said the only thing he could do was to cover his head with his hands.

He managed to escape after a struggle with his assailants. He then rushed into his house and shouted for help.

The robbers were chasing him but ran off upon seeing Yeong's brothers.

"I had locked my car the moment I got in. I thought it was safe but I didn't expect this," said Yeong.

He was rushed to Ampang hospital where he received about 30 stitches on the head and left arm. He was also hospitalised for a week.

Yeong's younger brother lodged a police report at the Pandan Indah police station.

Yeong's neighbour, Cheong Chye Wah, 46, who works at Pandan DAP branch, said there were at least two snatch theft cases every week in their neighbourhood.

"It is just a small neighbourhood with about 40 houses, but the crime is so rampant that almost all of us had encounters with robbers. My father fell into a coma when a robber pushed him on the road one morning in April. He has yet to regain consciousness," she said.

Teratai State assemblyman Jenice Lee urged the police to conduct regular checks especially in housing and commercial areas with banks, as these were hotspots for robbers.

"I had also been robbed before at the roadside, so I understand the trauma that the victims experience. Sometimes they do not lodge police reports as they feel that it's just a waste of time, especially if the loss of valuables is not that huge.

"However, that doesn't mean that the police couldn't do anything. There should be more patrol cars on the street to curb crime," she said.