Duo prey on RM10,000 Buddha statue at altar
GEORGE TOWN: A man and woman stole a RM10,000 marble Reclining Buddha statue in broad daylight from the altar of Penang Buddhist Association (PBA) building.
The theft was recorded on closed circuit television (CCTV), showing the pair pretending to pray until no one else was in the hall.
In the video that has been spreading on social media, the woman gives the man a boost after they are alone so that he can reach for the foot-long statue on the altar which is over 2m tall.
They then stroll away calmly, with the statue stashed in a black bag carried by the woman.
The bespectacled man with black hair wore a light blue shirt and white Bermuda shorts while the black-haired woman wore a white blouse and black skirt.
On Wednesday at about 10am, a devotee praying in the shrine hall noticed that the statue was missing and alerted the PBA secretary, who then made a police report.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Anuar Omar said the secretary reviewed the CCTV tapes and found the footage of the theft on the Dec 11 recordings.
Additional footage showed that the thieves arrived by car at about 8am to the association in Anson Road.
“The statue of white marble is estimated to be worth about RM10,000. It has been in the temple for more than 90 years.
“The secretary had never seen the suspects before and there were no eyewitnesses.
“The police could not lift any fingerprints at the scene. We are tracking down the suspects and no arrest has been made so far,” ACP Anuar said in a statement yesterday.
The case is classified under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft.
Meanwhile, PBA president Datuk Seri Khoo Keat Siew said security features have always been up to mark at the premises.
“We have CCTV cameras with employees keeping a close watch.
“But sometimes, incidents of such nature are beyond our control,” he said.
Khoo said this was the second time a Buddha statue was stolen from the premises.
“The first time happened more than five years ago and that statue was much bigger.
“Normally, people won’t steal such statues unless they have ready buyers,” he said.
Sometimes mistakenly named “sleeping”, Reclining Buddha statues depict the historical Buddha in his last moments before passing away.