PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A goldsmith's shop in Malaysia had a spicy end to their day when a couple attempted to rob them using nothing but a hammer and a packet of chilli powder.

The pair, wearing helmets with the visors down and obscuring their faces, entered the shop in Sungai Way of Petaling Jaya at about 3.15pm on Monday (Feb 1) and went straight to the glass displays with the jewellery inside.

The man started pounding on the glass with a hammer while his female accomplice reportedly sprinkled chilli powder over the display, but the glass did not break.

"They tried hitting the glass for five minutes but couldn't break it. Then they ran out of the shop and were last seen riding away on a motorcycle," said Petaling Jaya district police chief Asst Comm Mohd Zani Che Din.

There were three employees and four customers in the shop during the incident. All were unhurt.

ACP Mohd Zani said he was unsure what the chilli powder was for, saying that the suspects were "amateurs".

The police sealed off the shop for an hour for investigations and collected closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage robbery and a sample of the chilli powder.

The case has been classified as attempted robbery.