KOTA BHARU: A man received seven stitches in his left ear after being bitten by a snatch thief who tried to rob his wife in an incident in Kampung Binjai here.

The incident happened at about 5.45am yesterday, when Mohd Hanif Hilmi, 29, was waiting for his wife who had just gotten off the express bus. She was approached by the suspect who was riding a motorcycle who then proceeded to snatch the woman's handbag.

He said he was waiting in the car for her and when he saw the incident take place, he chased and hit the motorcycle the suspect was on to prevent him from escaping.

“When the suspect got up from falling off the motorcycle, I continued to pounce and hugged him to prevent him from getting away.

"While struggling, the suspect turned around and bit my left ear. I was lucky because there were two other men who came to help and managed to arrest the suspect," he said when met at the Kota Bharu District Police Headquarters (IPD) today.

Earlier, Mohd Hanif received a certificate of appreciation from Kelantan Police Chief Datuk Shafien Mamat for his bravery in causing the 29 -year -old suspect from Pulai Chondong, Machang to be arrested.

Meanwhile, Shafien said the suspect was currently being treated at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZ II) for a broken right arm and injuries on both knees.

“Preliminary investigations found that the suspect had been actively committing robbery since last year, targeting victims who had just gotten off the bus in quiet locations.

"The suspect has 14 previous criminal records related to drug cases and was remanded from yesterday to Sunday. The urine test found that the suspect was positive for methamphetamine and the case is being investigated under Section 392 of the Penal Code," he said.