BATU PAHAT, MALAYSIA: A pregnant woman died several hours after she was found with serious head injuries some 100 metres from her home in Taman Mekar, Air Hitam, on Sunday.

Razali Ahmad waiting at Sultanah Aminah Hospital mortuary with his stepchildren Puteri Norasikin Salleh and Mohamad Khairi Ridwan Salleh.

Jamilah Selamat's family allege that she was a victim of a snatch thief as her handbag is missing and they also claim that witnesses saw her being attacked.

Police, however, have classified the case as an accident as no one has come forward to say otherwise.

Jamilah's husband, Razali Ahmad, 42, said this was the second time his wife had fallen victim to a snatch thief.

He claimed that two months ago, Jamilah, 32, was lucky to escape with minor injuries when she fell off her motorcycle while grappling with a snatch thief.
In that incident, several passers-by came to her aid.

He said following that incident, Jamilah, who worked in a handicraft shop in Air Hitam, tied her handbag strap to the handle of the side-view mirror of her motorcycle.

Razali and several relatives said that on Sunday, around 7pm, a witness saw Jamilah struggling with a snatch thief while returning home after work.

She allegedly lost control of her motorcycle and fell, suffering serious head injuries.

Jamilah was taken to the Air Hitam health clinic by ambulance before being transferred to the Batu Pahat Hospital.

She was then sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru when her condition deteriorated. However, she succumbed to her injuries at 6.45am yesterday without regaining consciousness.

Jamilah and Razali, who is self-employed, were married in November.

Razali's first wife died of cancer in 2004. They had two children. Jamilah also had two children from her previous marriage.

When she died, Jamilah was 10 weeks pregnant with their first child.

Speaking at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital mortuary in Johor Baru yesterday, a grieving Razali said: "I was told that a witness saw my wife's motorcycle being dragged several metres."

Jamilah's remains were brought home yesterday for burial.

Batu Pahat police chief Assistant Commissioner Ibrahim Mohd Aris confirmed that the case had been classified as an accident. He said no witness had come forward to assist in the investigations.

Asked about Jamilah's missing handbag, Ibrahim said they had not ruled out the possibility that it could have been stolen from the scene after an accident.

He urged witnesses to contact the Batu Pahat police station.

--New Straits Times