Fire at I-City Wax Museum an act of sabotage - Police

Police on Monday confirmed that the fire that destroyed 10 exhibits at the The Red Carpet Wax Museum at i-City here last Wednesday was an act of sabotage.

Shah Alam CID chief DSP Muhammad Idzham Jaafar said the case was being investigated under Section 436 of the Penal Code (Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a house, etc).

"In the CCTV recording, the suspects are seen wearing hats and gloves in the incident... however, we cannot comment further until investigations are completed," he said when contacted by Bernama.

In a statement Monday, I-Berhad, the master developer of i-City, said the Red Carpet@i-City was hit by a break-in early Wednesday which resulted in a fire that damaged a portion of the showcase.

It said that according to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which had been handed over to the police, there was a high likelihood that the break-in and fire were the work of saboteurs involving three individuals.

"Fortunately, the damage was limited as a result of the quick response by the police and the fire and rescue department," said I-Berhad information manager Tang Soke Cheng.

As i-City is one the recommended destinations to visit during Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014, the company said this act of sabotage was of utmost concern.

Tang said the company was still looking into the total damage caused by the blaze.

"The i-City's auxiliary police team is currently working with the Selangor police to prevent such incidents in the future," Tang said.

The main exhibition area of Red Carpet will be closed to the public for reconstruction and replacement of the damaged wax exhibits.

The museum's operation team has taken alternative measures to relocate a number of unaffected wax exhibits to a smaller location for visitors to interact and enjoy the experience at RM5 per entry.

According to the statement, refurbishment works on the damaged portion of the wax museum will begin after the Chinese New Year and were expected to take up to two months to complete.

Tang said those who had bought tickets for the Chinese New Year period could choose either to visit the newly-refurbished wax museum on a later date or write in to the company for refund.