50kg gold-plated bell stolen from Siamese Buddhist temple

KUBANG PASU: The Siamese community here is appalled over the missing of a 50kg gold-plated bell worth RM2,000 which is used in religious rites at the Samakhitham Buddhist Temple in Kampung Paya Nongmi, Changlun near here last Saturday.
Apart from the bell, a total of RM500 in cash from seven donation boxes which were placed around the temple was also stolen.
A 35-year-old monk, Surith Cha Tam said in the 10.25pm incident, four unidentified men, in their 20s and 30s, were seen heading towards a dining hall located at the back of the temple in a car before news of the missing bell broke out.
"At that time, I was with another monk at a house near this temple. At first, I thought they came to pray. So, we just left them alone. Apparently, they came to break the donation boxes which were available inside a meeting room and around the temple.
"They had also used a steel cutter to take the 50kg bell which was hung about 0.5m high. The men left the temple with the vehicle headlights switched off but we didn't dare to act fearing for our safety," he told Bernama here today.
Meanwhile, Kubang Pasu district police chief Supt Ismail Ibrahim confirmed the case, saying that police were still investigating. — Bernama