Priyanca Radhakrishnan had been warned to be wary of bag theft on a recent trip to Bangladesh, but didn't expect to be targeted in an upmarket Auckland suburb.

A Labour list MP got robbed while shopping on Auckland's upmarket Ponsonby Road on Friday — and said the "mugging flew in the face of all stereotypes".

Priyanca Radhakrishnan said a well-dressed man grabbed her handbag in broad daylight, while she was on the hunt for a dress to wear for her maiden speech in Parliament next week.

She gave chase, and ended up with a bruised hand after punching the car her assailant ducked into. She managed to remember its license plate and gave it to police.

MAARTEN HOLL/STUFF The Labour MP had a hectic week, and is preparing to make her maiden speech in Parliament next week.

The new MP had just got back from an parliamentary trip to Bangladesh, and had been warned to be wary of handbag theft while there.

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"So I thought it was quite ironic that we were actually fine over there, but on the day I got back to Auckland this happened," she said.

JASON DORDAY/STUFF Labour list MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan was mugged on Ponsonby Rd in broad daylight on Saturday.

The mugging was part of a hectic week for Radhakrishnan; after flying back from Bangladesh on Wednesday she went straight down to Wellington for her first Question Time, and had only just got home to Auckland when the incident happened.

"I was a bit more shaken than I thought I would be," she said.

"It's not that I lost anything of great value — except it was my favourite handbag — but it was that sense of violation.

"Firstly of my personal space, but I was also furious that someone would do something so brazen. You don't hear much about that in NZ."

The thief grabbed her bag — containing her phone, credit cards and about $16 cash — while she was opening her car door to put an umbrella back inside.

"I started screaming, and he actually froze for a second, and he ran back to his car and I chased him," she said.

"It wasn't the place, the time, or the sort of person you expect in a mugging."

Radhakrishnan was grateful to the bystanders who came to her aid: A lady who witnessed the incident phoned police, and a nearby restaurant let her sit down to cancel her credit cards. The restaurant staff also gave her some ice for her bruised hand.

"I don't want us to become a society where we have to look over our shoulder in the street," she said. "It's something that must be addressed, and something that's been a priority for Labour."

Radhakrishnan stood as Labour's candidate in Maungakiekie in this year's general election. She did not win the electorate but entered parliament for the first time through the party's list.



A police spokesperson said officers responded immediately but the offender was not located.



An investigation was ongoing, and anyone with information could contact the Crime Squad on (09) 302 6557, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.