Desperate, the mother did what she could to help her three-year-old child.
She took a few fever relief pads and some cakes from the shelves of a hypermarket. And Norhidayah Hamid was promptly caught by the security guards who lodged a police report on the matter.
But in a heartwarming tale of compassion over strict action, she was not arrested by the cops who came calling at her house.
Instead, the Petaling Jaya district police came bearing gifts after her plight caught the attention of district police chief Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal.
In a touching turn of events, Nik Ezanee took swift action by buying some household necessities for Norhidayah’s family instead.
The policemen visited Norhidayah at her People’s Housing Project (PPR) flat in Lembah Subang earlier today, along with a care package from the Social Welfare Department.
Norhidayah said she had lost her babysitter job because the child’s parents now worked from home and no longer required her services.
Her husband has also not been receiving any jobs of late, apart from the occasional request to fix the neighbours’ toilets.
The couple have been struggling to make ends meet to feed their family of five over the course of the pandemic. The oldest child is in Standard 5.
“My parents are no longer around. My siblings live in Pahang and are dealing with the floods there,” Norhidayah told FMT.
“I did not tell them I was facing financial difficulties because they already have their own set of problems. How could I expect them to help me?”
When her youngest child fell sick, Norhidayah said she had to resort to shoplifting.
“I only had RM50 in my pocket, and Koolfever (fever relief pads) are expensive. At that moment, I lost all ability to think and just stuffed it with some cakes into my bag. I was thinking of using the RM50 to buy food,” she recalled.
Nik Ezanee was sympathetic. “I felt the need to visit this woman. I believe she is facing problems, otherwise she wouldn’t have done such a thing. If we get hungry, we can bear with it, but if our children are hungry, that’s a different story,” he said on Facebook Live.
While others may complain about roadblocks and traffic jams during the movement control order, he reminded the public that others were suffering more.
“Let us sacrifice a little and face the difficulties for a better future. Let’s also help others wherever we can,” he said.
Police have since classified Norhidayah’s case as “no further action” and advised her not to repeat the same mistake again.
Norhidayah said she was eternally grateful to the police for their compassion and to other individuals who have also reached out to offer assistance.
“I committed an offence. I’m so thankful for all their help.”
For those who wish to help Norhidayah, drop a WhatsApp message on FMT’s Helpline at 019-389 9839. Click here to WhatsApp us.