SHAH ALAM • A group of thieves trying to rob a jewellery shop in Selangor left empty-handed after their attempts to break several showcase counters proved fruitless due to the "bullet-proof" glass displays.

A video made available by the shop on Facebook shows the robbers swinging their hammers repeatedly against the glass displays as shop staff scurried for cover.

Two of the masked men are seen swinging their hammers at one point, before walking out of the premises in Shah Alam, capital of Selangor state.

In the 42-second closed-circuit television footage that was posted on Tuesday, one of the men is also seen holding an object resembling a gun.

An employee of Kedai Emas Sri Alam, who was present during the incident, said the robbers caused about RM80,000 (S$26,000) worth of damage.

He said: "We haven't checked our stock thoroughly but from what I saw, the robbers didn't get away with anything."

The employee was unable to confirm if the material used for the display cases was polycarbonate, but said that the shop's contractors had told them the displays were "bullet-proof".

Shah Alam's deputy police chief, Superintendent Nek Zaidi Zakaria, said there were six suspects involved in the attempted heist.

They were clad in motorcycle helmets with dark visors.

The shop's Facebook post has garnered at least 4.5 million views, 31,060 shares and 4,036 comments.

The store said it would be closed for two weeks for repairs and will resume operations once renovations are done.

Separately, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi wrote in a message in a programme book for a forum, Addressing Perception On Safety And Security, that the national crime index has dropped by a sharp 47 per cent in the last six years, but acknowledged that people still have doubts about public safety.

THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK