A 37-YEAR-OLD man has been detained for allegedly stealing idols and placing them at the entrance of a surau in Klang last week.

The suspect admitted to the police that he stole the idols and placed one of them at the surau after having frequent dreams where he claimed to have seen the Kaabah, the most sacred Islamic site, being circled by the deities.

The unemployed man was arrested yesterday at 6.15pm at his home, 200m away from the surau, said police.

In two separate incidents last week, mosque officials discovered several idols placed at the entrance of the Surau Sabilul Huda in Taman Pendamar Indah, Port Klang.

Klang Selatan district police chief Shamsul Amar Ramli said the suspect was responsible for both incidents at the surau.

“The suspect tested positive for methamphetamine. He also studied cult religion from a neighbouring country,” Shamsul Amar said today.

“He told the cops that in his sleep, he would see the idols being placed around the Kaabah and because of that, he did the same thing at the surau,” he said, adding that the suspect believed that his acts would persuade non-Muslims to perform their religious rituals at the surau.

The statues were stolen from a nearby shrine while two more were picked up from a rubbish dump.

“The suspect maybe is mentally unstable. He had two criminal records and we are investigating this matter,” said Shamsul, adding that the case has nothing to do with religious incitement.

“This is not a religious or racial incitement incident. There is no group involved to cause disharmony in the country.”

On Saturday, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yasssin said the government would act against those who insult religion and cause disharmony, and described the deity incidents as dangerous as they had caused anger among Muslims.

“Those who commit these heinous acts should be arrested according to provisions under the law, charged in court and punished if found guilty,” Muhyiddin said in a statement. – February 25, 2019.