Several dozen cheated of their valuables under the guise of 'deity blessing'

The temple, located at a row of shop lots in Taman Austin Perdana, Johor Baru, is now shuttered since the claims came to light.

JOHOR BARU: At least 50 devotees placed their jewellery and money - collectively worth about RM200,000 - at a temple here for "blessings'', only to find that they have been duped.

One of the victims, who only wanted to be known as Soh, 29, claimed that the temple’s medium and treasurer made off with the loot.

Soh, a steamboat restaurant owner, said he came across the temple located at a row of shop lots in Taman Austin Perdana last year while running an errand.

"A medium at the temple suggested that I return with my gold chain to gain blessings from the deities.

"I returned later with my RM4,000 gold chain for a short ritual.

"I thought that was it but the medium told me to place the chain on the deity statue, saying that the jewellery will be blessed for another 108 days. I followed his instructions as I thought there was no harm in it," he said.

Soh said the temple’s treasurer, who allegedly handled the devotees’ valuables, approached him and informed him that he would have to place the gold chain at the temple for 108 days to gain the deity’s full blessings.

"However, when the period was up, the treasurer gave me all sorts of excuses, including claiming that she was unwell, the medium was hospitalised, and that the medium was scaling a mountain for prayers," said Soh, who added that other devotees, who had earlier been added into a text messaging group by the treasurer, also started asking when they could retrieve their valuables.

"On Sept 23, the treasurer suddenly shut down the chat group and blocked all the devotees’ telephone numbers.

"After getting in touch with the other devotees, we realised there were at least 50 of us who were duped.

"One of the victims even placed jewellery worth as much as RM24,000 at the temple while others claimed that they left their jewellery there for up to two years.

"We are upset as we worked hard for our valuables, and some were heirlooms from their elders," said Soh.

He added that he managed to contact the temple chairman after the incident, where the representative told the devotees to collect their valuables on Sept 30.

"When we showed up at the temple, we were surprised to find the doors and shutters locked. The medium and treasurer could no longer be contacted.

"What is more frustrating is that the chairman claimed that he was unaware about their whereabouts," he said, adding that the devotees, some of whom worked in Singapore, decided to lodge a police report on Oct 1.

When contacted, Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said police had received a total of 28 police reports relating to the case.

He added that a 55-year-old man had been arrested on Oct 8 and investigations were still ongoing under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

The arrested suspect is believed to be a temple committee member.