An elderly man allegedly stole about S$200 from a donation bowl at a temple in Singapore before bowing to the deity statue, apparently to seek forgiveness, and walking away.
The incident happened at about 1pm on Aug 28 at Hoon Sian Keng Temple on Changi Road, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Temple chairman Chen Jingliang, 34, said three staff members were present at the time, but none noticed the alleged theft.
Two caretakers were cleaning around the main altar while a secretary was working in the office.
CCTV footage later showed the man approaching the statue and reaching into the donation bowl to take the money. He then bowed to the statue before leaving the temple.
The entire incident reportedly took less than five minutes.
Chen said the temple had never seen the man before, but suspected he may have visited earlier to familiarise himself with the premises.
“From the CCTV footage, he moved very quickly and seemed to know his way around, so we suspect he may have recce’d the place beforehand,” he said.
The man also did not take money from any of the temple’s four official donation boxes. Instead, he allegedly took cash from the bowl placed directly in front of the deity statue.
Chen explained that devotees usually leave coins or notes in the bowl after making a wish. The temple normally collects the money at the end of each day before transferring it to the donation boxes.
Although the temple estimated that around S$200 was taken, Chen said the amount was not the main concern.
“The amount isn’t large, but we hope to raise awareness by making this public,” he said.
He added that regardless of the difficulties someone might be facing, taking money from a temple was still wrong.
Singapore police said they received a call for assistance at the temple at about 2.20pm on Aug 28.
A 77-year-old man is assisting with investigations, which are ongoing.
