Kelantan deputy police chief SAC Din Ahmad said Siti Rohani Wahab, 54, was riding alone on her motorcycle when a man on another motorcycle snatched her handbag that was placed in the basket in front.

The incident happened at 8.15am when the victim was on her way to work at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan cafeteria at the Bachok campus here.

“The victim, who was shocked when her handbag was snatched, gave chase before bearing down on the suspect.

“Unfortunately, her motorcycle skidded and hit an electric pole located on the right side of the road,” he told reporters here.

She died on the spot due to serious head injuries.

Her remains were later sent to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu and police have launched a manhunt for the snatch thief, he said.

“I advise people not to take matters into their own hands. Instead, immediately contact the police if they are victims of theft because it could be dangerous if they act on their own,” he said.

A witness, Syuhada Abd Malik, 24, said she was having breakfast at her shop and saw the victim’s motorcycle coming from Kampung Telong here, bearing down on the man before she hit an electric pole and fell.

“I ran towards the victim lying on the road and found her dead,” she said.

Meanwhile, the victim’s daughter, Nur Farah Wahida Che Hassan, 15, said her mother left her house in Telong at 6.30am and that about 8.30am she was informed of the accident and her death.

She said her father, Che Hassan Che Ibrahim, 59, was not at home because he worked in Kuantan and came home once a month.