The police detained a public university student and her mother in connection with the theft of 17 packets of Nescafe from a hypermarket here yesterday.

District police chief Supt Ng Kong Soon said the suspects, aged 22 and 56, admitted stealing the items from the hypermarket about 1.45pm.

"They stopped by at the hypermarket on their way to a relative's house in Lumut from Sg Jawi, Penang.

"The mother admitted committing the crime because she didn't have enough money for her daughter's daily expenses at the university," he said.

Ng said the 17 packets of Nescafe were discovered missing by the hypermarket supervisor.

"Based on the CCTV recording, the items were stolen by the two women. They were tracked using the registration number of their vehicle," he said, adding that the suspects were now being remanded.