POLICE yesterday detained a man to facilitate investigations into an arson case on Sunday at the 154-year-old Then Sze Koon Temple, one of the oldest temples in Negri Sembilan.

Seremban district police chief Assistant Commissioner Thiew Hock Poh said the 24-year-old suspect was arrested in front of a restaurant in Jalan Temiang, Seremban, at 12.15pm.

“Police also seized a cash box believed to belong to the temple, clothes worn by the suspect during the incident, a motorcycle and a helmet,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Thiew said closed-circuit television camera footage showed a man acting suspiciously in the temple before the fire.

“The CCTV recording also showed the suspect appearing to have ransacked the office space in the temple to steal money. However, the estimated losses have yet to be ascertained.”

He said the suspect was being investigated under Section 436 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire with the intention of destroying a building, and would be remanded today.

The Then Sze Koon Temple was 40% destroyed in the blaze. No casualties were reported.

The temple, also known as the Centipede Temple, was established in 1864 and is a popular tourist spot. – Bernama, January 23, 2018.