New device that literally catches thieves red-handed
With a simple text message, a purse snatcher could be permanently marked.
Created by Ash Be Nimble, a woman-owned fitness apparel company, the Handbag Dyetonator hopes to make it very clear just who is committing crimes against women.
See also: Ten most notorious criminals of all time
See also: Elderly man has car keys stolen at petrol station
The Malaysian brand took notice of the country's 36% rise in snatch thefts over 2016, and developed a GPS enabled device that can pinpoint the location of a woman's purse within 32 feet.
But finding the bag itself wasn't good enough, the brand wanted to help bring the thieves to justice.
The Handbag Dyetonator, disguised as a cute purse accessory, weighs a little over three ounces, and is about the size of a deck of playing cards.
You can get five days of standby time with only a two hour USB charge.
To mark the thief, a colored dye pack detonates within five seconds of being activated by text message, and then a brightly colored smoke pack flares for four minutes.
The Handbag Dyetonator has a waiting list to purchase, and is not available to the public yet.
While the initial goal is to identify snatch thieves, as the technology catches on, it could also be a theft deterrent.