Device Claims To Catch Thieves Red-Handed But The Internet Is Not Convinced

New Delhi: A Malaysian sportswear company claims it has come up with a new device to help catch thieves - specifically bag snatchers - red-handed. Literally. Bag snatching is a relatively common crime in Malaysia and the most common targets are women walking alone. After the thefts, the culprits often zoom away on two-wheelers, making them impossible to find. And that's what the Handbag Dyenator hopes to change.

Ash Be Nimble says the Dyetonator, once activated via text message, detonates, releasing coloured smoke and dye all over the thief, effectively marking him or her out for the police to identify. It also has a GPS that allows the bag to be traced and a battery life of up to five days.

The Dyetonator is designed to look like a handbag accessory - it can be clipped onto the handle of a handbag and comes in multiple colours.  
 

But the Internet is divided over the device. 

As netizens point out, the thief could simply get rid of the device:

"The chain which attaches the device to your bag seems kind of weak. Do you think that once thieves catch on, that they might start snatching the purse and immediately ripping the device off," asks Michael Kinney on YouTube.

And what if the woman's phone is in the bag?

"A detonation code is send through SMS? Isn't the mobile phone in the handbag? We can't use someone else's phone seeing the target audience is women walking alone," points out a user on Facebook.

This person has a valid question:

"What happens to an expensive handbag smeared with the dye, say a Hermes Birkin, even if you manage to retrieve your bag from the snatch thief," asks Andy Lee.

Some people are genuinely excited by it:

"Love it, of course always have space to improve but for the time being, this is a solution to begin with," writes Yann Yip.

"I believe all women should get it," writes another person on Facebook.

So, would it work in India?

"Very nice, commendable and useful technology," writes Sunil Nilkanth Rokde. "This is required in India also because the incidents of snatching are increasing day by day"

"This is silly. How long would it take for the thieves to use a plastic bag and cover your device from exposing or plucking it out from the handbag itself," writes Arun Balu. "Don't come to India with this product. We have Holi celebrations which would have colors all over the city."

Ash Be Nimble founder Hui Matthews tells ELLE Malaysia the device is still in the testing stage but will be available to purchase soon. 

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