KUBANG PASU • The Siamese community is appalled that a 50kg gold-plated bell used in religious rites at the Samakhitham Buddhist Temple in Kampung Paya Nongmi, Changlun, in Kedah, went missing last Saturday.

In addition to the RM2,000 (S$636) bell, some RM500 in cash from seven donation boxes that were placed around the temple was also stolen.

One of the temple's monks, 35-year-old Surith Cha Tam, said four unidentified men in their 20s and 30s were seen heading in a car towards a dining hall at the back of the temple at around 10.25pm on Saturday, before the bell was found to be missing.

"At that time, I was with another monk at a house near the temple. At first, I thought they came to pray. So we left them alone. Apparently, they came to break the donation boxes which were inside a meeting room and around the temple.

"They also used a steel cutter to take the 50kg bell, which was hung about 0.5m high. The men left the temple with the car headlights switched off but we didn't dare to act as we feared for our safety," he told Bernama.

Meanwhile, Kubang Pasu district police chief Superintendent Ismail Ibrahim confirmed the case, saying that police were still investigating.

BERNAMA