Police have arrested a 25-year-old man believed to be linked to the discovery of several burnt copies of the Quran beside a football field near Taman Bandar Senawang on Aug 22.
Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said the suspect was arrested at a hotel in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, at about 9.30pm yesterday.
The arrest followed two police reports believed to be connected to the case, including a report lodged by an officer at the police operations room regarding the discovery of several burnt copies of the Quran.
A second report was filed at about 5.45pm on the same day over the theft of Quran copies from a mosque in the Forest Height area.
“Following investigations, police raided a hotel along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Chow Kit at about 9.30pm yesterday and arrested a man,” Alzafny said.
A search of the suspect’s room uncovered two suitcases and a backpack containing 16 copies of the Quran. Police also seized three mobile phones and several personal belongings, including clothing, for further investigation.
Checks found that the suspect had four previous criminal records and had only completed a police supervision order two months ago.
Alzafny said preliminary investigations found that the Quran copies recovered from the suspect’s bags were believed to have been taken without permission from mosques and surau around the Chow Kit area.
“Police do not rule out the possibility that some of the copies were taken from a university in the northern part of the country, based on the discovery of the university’s ownership stamp on them,” he said.
Police also searched the suspect’s family home in Senawang and recovered 36 Quran covers from the room where he stayed.
“All 36 Quran covers were seized, and police believe their discovery is linked to the burning of Quran copies beside the football field at Taman Bandar Senawang on Aug 22,” Alzafny said.
The case is being investigated under Sections 380 and 295 of the Penal Code.
