True Story : A Robbery Attempt in Madrid

By : Awaneer

Note : Sorry English so terabur due to nak cepat tulis. I'm not so good in English.

Everything in life is interconnected. This is true story about my own experience facing a real threatening situation in Madrid. I will tell you from A-Z, starting to end, for you to understand that Allah didn't create anything in this world with coincidence. Everything He created is interconnected and got a reason.

The first issue when I intended to bring my family(wife+baby) to Spain is the safety issue. That's the first thing crossed my mind during that time. That's why I tried to find an apartment with a receptionist, guard and a car park. So that when I leave my family to go to work I will feel safe and secure, same for them also. Previously, the apartment when I was stay alone in madrid which I called 'Resident Evil'.. It have everything including receptionist, guard, car park but not the residents except me. The apartment got 6 floor and and I am the only one live in there... Others are Resident Evil! I am not afraid about the Spanish Devils although I heard a lot of funny voice during the midnight. I just think positive that the Spanish Devils not so Evil that they will eat me during sleep. It works! My hands still there including my 6-5 packs tummy.

My effort was trying to find a good security place for my family with uncle Google's help. That's we as a Muslim called an effort(zahir). Yes, it is indeed a good effort but an effort without relying to Allah is misleading. For that, we as a family made some 'Solat Hajat', 'Kenduri Doa Selamat' and a Doa after each prayer for Allah to be with us at all times. Although some of us called that land is Spain or US or UK or Poland or Malaysia, but for me every inch of land and all the universe is belong to Allah. We human just rent it for a while and need to check-out voluntarily or by force when the time comes.

A good Spanish Policeman

30th September 2011, Evening 6-8.30 pm.

At the evening we plan to go to the nearest shopping center(Plunolio) from our apartment by car. We bought some groceries at Mercadona market and did some window shopping at the complex before we intended to go back around 8 pm to do Maghrib prayer.

After went out from the complex car park, there is a road block by a police and they checked every car passing by. For me, I didn't do something bad and I should not be afraid of the police. The policeman at first let our car go, but one of his friend suddenly arrested our car and put our car aside of the road. They asked about all the documentations and I gave full cooperation to them. I still didn't know what is the illegal action I did because they all speak in Spanish.

A few minutes later one of the policeman come to me and said that he is not good in English but will try to explain what I had did wrong. According to Spain Law, a baby must seat in a proper child seat and from the situation it seems that I didn't have the car seat for baby. Believe me, I didn't even knew about this law before. But he understand that I am a tourist and let me go in one condition: My wife and my baby need to go out from the car and I need to find some place to park the car and get my wife and walk together. I think that is a simple solution because my apartment not very far away and I just do whatever he instructed us to do. Of course for my wife and baby safety, I asked them to stay with the policemen and I will fetch them later after find a car park. For me it is more safe for my wife and baby to stay with the policemen and not walk alone.

I believe the Spanish policeman is good because he talked very nice and behaved very good with tourist like us.

Situation settled. But this week we need to postponed our plan to Madrid Zoo because of the child seat issue. My car rental will expired in one week time at 8th October and I plan to get new one with child seat. It is indeed a very nice time to happen before we will get the new one in just one week time. Or else we need to buy a child seat here with so not cheap price.

A Bad 'Policemen'

1 October 2011, Evening 1-3.30 pm;

The day so dull for us because the plan to the Zoo is postponed. So my wife suggest that we go to the same complex yesterday but by foot. We agreed as I also feel bored at home.

This time my wife do a 'Door Shopping' or Serious shopping and bought handbag for her and clothes for Nurimanina. I gave her 600 Euros to her for shopping. There is an old folks or pepatah said :

"You can stop world war III from happening but you cannot stop a women desire to do shopping... " - Awaneer 1983

Door shopping activity

After finished shopping, we walk back home using the same street we came before.

Suddenly a green car from our opposite direction stopped and one of the guy in the car tried to ask us something. There were only two guys in the car.

The interesting story starts here;

Guy1 : Can you talk spanish?

Me : No, English only!

Guy1 : I am a policeman and I need to check your documentation.

He shows his ID police in a split second during his talk. This contribute to my doubt.

Me : No, I will not give you.

Guy1 : Why you are so afraid?? I am police..

Me : I must be afraid because I am a tourist and you not look like a police. You don't wear a uniform and using civilian car.

Guy1 : This is how spanish police wear.. Why you are so afraid? Are you selling drugs??

Me : No. If you want to go to police station then let's see at police station.

Then I tried to leave from the situation and ask my wife to go along. My baby is in my carriage that time. But unfortunately, she didn't understand the situation and ask me to cooperate with the 'bad policeman'. She think that we should cooperate with the policeman as yesterday.

The bad policeman take advantage from the argue and went out from his car and tried to be violent.

Guy1(bad police) : Why you are so afraid haa? Are you selling drugs?? Let me see your passport.

As my baby is in my carriage, and my wife is in doubt, I didn't have choice but  trying to give full conscious cooperation and find the best time to escape. I show my passport but without giving him... He checked my wallet, and violently try to checked every money I have.

At that situation the guy trying to create a panic situation by raising his voice and keep accusing me of selling drugs. I tried not to concentrate for his action or words and raising my full focus and inner strength to the maximum. I open my eyes to the fullest with every Euros he's trying to check.

I just get ready with my 'pukulan batin alam ke-6' if in case he's trying to do something bad.

After failed to do something bad to me he's changing his plan by trying to check my wife. I gave warn to my wife by just showing inside her bag and nothing else. He failed again.

Realized that he facing people with full awareness, he changed his tactics again by asking one more time my passport. I just showed him and hope this will be the end of the situation.

He grabbed my passport and tried to run away by saying he is giving my passport to his boss sit in the car(guy2). I chase him and try to knock him down from behind before he get into the car. But after realized that my baby is in my carriage I stopped my intention.

He also realized that I will attack him when I already close behind him. He tried to turn around and during that time I used momen 'elakan sebutir padi' and grab my passport in his hand in a split second.

Elakan sebutir padi adalah sejenis pergerakan elakan oleh orang-orang tua dahulu yang memanipulasi ruang dan waktu sehingga dikatakan peluru mampu dielak dengan jarak sebutir padi. Pergerakannya melingkungi zahir dan batin. Tahap tertinggi adalah dengan menghayati konsep 'bukan aku yang elak'. - Awaneer 2011

Shocked by my action he's still threatening me to take me to police station.

I end the conversation by said it loud and clear, "If you want to go to police station then let see at police station!".

This is the road where the robbery attempt take place.

I ran away from there by grabbing my wife that still in 'lamunan terhenti' by the situation. I tried to awake her from the shock by saying, " Itu polis penipu, orang jahat, lari cepat". She woke up and suddenly realized the situation. We walked away from there, and the guy did not chase us but just enter the car and speed up to nowhere like they realized their plan didn't work out.

But it didn't end just like that.

During our way home, we saw the green car at the road near to our apartment. They must trying to find where we live.. I take decision to walk far away using another road just not to let them know where we live.

Suddenly the bad guy green hornet come from nowhere to our opposite direction of the road. We didn't have anywhere to run right now. Situation critical!

This is a bad time! The road I'm using right now, there is no people around. My bad for not analysed this.

Time to get into war! Masa untuk bertempur!

The plan is... the ONLY plan is I get into the war and hold them with excessive force and my wife+baby will run to a safer place.

The green creature stop beside us and the guy1 open his window.

guy1 : Heyyy!! Where do you live?????

me : Heyyyy!!! If you want to go to police station let's go now!!! - With angry voice

I show my Ong Bak Knuckle to them and get ready to fight!

It just didn't come to my expectation... the guys ran away with the green creature! Is he afraid of my Ong Bak Knuckle??

Maybe my assumption before this was right that we can stop world war III from happening but we cannot stop women desire to go shopping...

Thinking for the worst case also that they might come back, we walked fast to the apartment and straight to the receptionist. We tell the receptionist what happened and she agreed with me that the two guys are bandits! According to her this case was always happened in Madrid. I tell them to report to police about this incident and they said they will. We are considered lucky enough for not losing anything including our passport.

From this incident I am as the family leader taking some preventive action that are :

1. No family out activity during this week. As we also cannot go out without child seat.

2. From now on , go to public places only with a proper car park.

3. Make sure people who knock the door before letting them in.

Of course a doa with each prayer for our safety here. After all He is the one who created the 'green creature' with all the bandits inside.

Actually when I said all of these are interconnected, I smile alone... After we get arrested by good policeman on Friday, I did search some information that night using uncle Google about road laws in Spain and a tourist guide for Spain just for my awareness.

To this I found some information about the tourist right not to give their passport or documentation to unknown people who ask for it although they admit as a police officer. Ironically, the incident of 'bad police officer' ask for my passport happened just a day after that. The memory still fresh and this is unlucky for the bandits.

Actually there is no lucky or unlucky... There is no coincidence.

Even Einstein said that God don't play with dice.

The truth is, there were nobody saved us that day but Allah.

Nurimanina now can pronounce 'Alhamdulillah'... I just repeat what she said :

Alhamdulillah.