Missing tombstone: Muhammad Izzul Hafiq showing one of the missing tombstones when met at the Mukim Tebrau Muslim Cemetery in Johor Baru. — Bernama
JOHOR BARU: Eleven graves at the Mukim Tebrau Muslim Cemetery in Taman Istimewa, Pandan, here, have been vandalised for their tombstones, believed to be stolen for resale.
A check at the cemetery yesterday showed that most of the stolen grave markers were river stone headstones that cost more than RM450 a set.
Grave digger Muhammad Izzul Hafiq Ramlan, 29, said several shocked visitors confronted him about the missing tombstones when they visited the graves of their relatives on Aidilfitri morning last week before a post on the vandalism went viral on Facebook on Friday.
He said the cemetery on waqf (public) land was not locked at the request of the public, especially the next of kin, to make it easier for them to visit, thus exposing it to intrusion.
Muhammad Izzul Hafiq said there was no one to look after it at night.
“We suspect that this vandalism was carried out when there were no funerals, likely at night (and) most of the tombstones stolen were river stones in sets of nine because they can be resold and the name of the deceased can be removed,” he told Bernama when met at the cemetery yesterday.
Muhammad Izzul Hafiq said white headstones worth RM350 per set were also stolen.
“This is the first such incident since the cemetery opened in the early 1990s,” he added.
Meanwhile, South Johor Baru OCPD ACP Raub Selamat said that so far, police have not received reports regarding vandalism and theft at the cemetery.
He advised the public, especially the next of kin, to lodge a report to facilitate investigations into the matter.
