KULAI: A total of 22 urns belonging to 20 families have been stolen from a cemetery at a memorial park here.
In a statement, Perpetual Memorial Park said a police report had been lodged about the incident, and efforts to identify the culprits are still ongoing.
"The park is actively assisting authorities in the investigation to identify those involved and establish the details of the case as soon as possible.
"The park had also immediately activated its internal emergency response mechanism and quickly implemented several measures to strengthen security and support affected families," read the statement on Monday (March 9).
It said this includes establishing a family support team, arranging prayer and memorial ceremonies, as well as reviewing and improving the park's security measures.
“In Chinese culture, the peace, dignity and spiritual rest of the deceased are of utmost importance.
"We fully understand the grief and distress this incident may have caused to the families, and we sincerely apologise for the emotional burden they have had to bear," it added.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Kulai OCPD Asst Comm Tan Seng Lee confirmed that police had received a report about the incident from the assistant manager of the park at about 5.14pm on Friday.
"The woman filed the report after discovering a break-in and the loss of several containers used to store the ashes of the deceased from a storage rack at Perpetual Memorial Park along the Kota Tinggi–Kulai road.
"Investigations are still ongoing, and the suspect has yet to be identified," ACP Tan said.
He said there were no closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, security guards or witnesses at the scene during the incident.
ACP Tan added that the case is being investigated under Section 297 of the Penal Code (Act 574) for trespassing in a burial place or place of worship and Section 427 of the same Code for committing mischief that causes loss or damage to property.
