Bag snatcher turns out to be policeman

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A thief chased and caught by a group of Malaysians after he snatched a woman's handbag turned out to be a policeman, a newspaper said Tuesday.

Bystanders gave chase on hearing the screams of a housewife at a coffee shop in Ipoh, capital of the northern state of Perak, when the thief grabbed her handbag, the New Straits Times said.

The man was taken to a police station, where a check of his identification papers showed he was a policeman.

Perak police chief Zulkifli Abdullah confirmed the suspect was a policeman, but declined further comment, saying police would investigate, the paper added.