Idols at temple damaged in alleged theft

Idols at a Hindu temple that were decorated with jewellery were reported damaged and dispositioned, purportedly by irresponsible parties in Penanti, here Wednesday night.

Penang CID chief Datuk Razaruddin Husain@ Abdul Rashid said a report on the incident in Penanti was received at 9pm.

"A priest saw the idols lying on the floor and lodged a police report," he said when contacted by Bernama here, today adding that the temple management were not aware who the culprit or culprits are because the temple was located in a village and there was no security guard or closed circuit camera.

Police believe someone had entered the temple to steal the jewellery that was placed on the idols and in the process damaged the idols, he said.

Razaruddin said police have directed the temple management to find out if any jewellery was missing from the idols.

He also urged those with information on the incident to come forward and help police.

Meanwhile, he denied the incident was caused by the hot political situation as alleged by Penang Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy.

"The incident has got nothing to do with politics or a crime of hate towards Hindus and their temples. So, I urge all parties to refrain from making any speculation about the incident. Let the police investigate," he said.

A news portal today reported Ramasamy as saying the incident could have been caused by the "hot political situation" and it was merely a crime of hate against Hindus and their places of worship.