SEREMBAN: Police have detained a 25-year-old male suspect believed to be responsible for burning several copies of the Quran, says Deputy Comm Datuk Alzafny Ahmad.
The Negri Sembilan CPO said the suspect was arrested in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (Aug 24) night.
"On the morning of Aug 22, we received a call from a member of the public regarding a small fire near a football field in Taman Bandar Senawang.
"When my men arrived at the location, they discovered that several copies of the Quran had been set on fire," he said in a statement Tuesday (Aug 25).
Later that same evening, the police received a report regarding the theft of copies of the Quran from a mosque in Forest Heights.
DCP Alzafny said police recovered 16 copies of the Quran from the suspect during his arrest.
Also seized were three mobile phones and some of the suspect's personal belongings.
"Preliminary probes revealed that all the copies of the Quran were believed to have been taken out without permission from mosques and surau in the Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur.
"We are also not ruling out the possibility that several copies were stolen from a university in the north based on the discovery of the university's stamp," he said.
DCP Alzafny said police conducted a search at the suspect's family home in Senawang on the same day and found 36 Quran covers inside the suspect's room.
He said police believe the discovery was connected to the Quran burning case in Taman Bandar Senawang on Aug 22.
Checks revealed that the suspect has four previous criminal offences and had only completed a police supervision order two months ago.
Police, he said, would also apply for a court order to remand the suspect to assist in investigations.
The case is being investigated under Section 380 of the Penal Code for theft and Section 295 for vandalism or desecration of religious objects.
DCP Alzafny urged those with information related to the case to contact the police at 06-603 3222.
