JOHOR BARU – Eleven graves at the Mukim Tebrau Muslim Cemetery in Taman Istimewa, Pandan, here were vandalised for their tombstones, believed stolen for resale.
A check at the cemetery this morning found that most of the stolen grave markers were river stone headstones that cost more than RM450 a set.
Gravedigger Muhammad Izzul Hafiq Ramlan, 29, said several shocked visitors confronted him about the missing tombstones when visiting the graves of their relatives on Aidilfitri morning last week before the vandalism went viral on Facebook yesterday.
He said the cemetery on waqf (public) land was exposed to intrusion as it was not locked at public request, especially to allow easier visits by next-of-kin, adding that 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 discarded,” he said when met at the cemetery today.
Izzul said white headstones worth RM350 per set were also stolen, and this was the first such incident since the cemetery was opened in the early 90s.
Meanwhile, South Johor Baru district police chief 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 the investigation. – Bernama, April 29, 2023
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