JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- The management of Surau Nurul Haq in Kampung Sungai Sayong 1, Kulai, expressed sadness and disappointment over the incident in which the van intended for use as the surau’s hearse was stolen and subsequently badly damaged in a road crash yesterday.
The surau’s bilal Zahiruzaman Saim said the van had been acquired from a government department in December last year through the property disposal process and had not yet been used for handling bodies.
“We had only managed to repaint it and affix stickers. It was not yet fully operational because the stretcher had not been installed, and we were only using it off-road within the village,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.
He said that previously, the congregation in the surau, which comprises 30 families, relied on a hearse from the Kampung Murni Jaya Mosque to transport bodies to the Kampung Sayong 1 Muslim Cemetery in the event of a death.
However, when there were simultaneous deaths, funeral arrangements could be delayed, prompting the surau to seek the kindness of its members to use personal multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) to manage the transportation of the deceased.
“The surau management believes that when a hearse is available, there should be no need to ask friends to lend a large vehicle. I did not expect this to happen, but what can I do? Incident happened,” he said.
Although he accepted the incident as fate, he added that the surau management will now try to find a suitable used van to serve as a hearse and welcomes contributions from any party willing to donate.
Yesterday, a man believed to have stolen a hearse from a surau was arrested by police after the vehicle was involved in an accident on Jalan Skudai, here.
Kulai police chief ACP Tan Seng Lee said the Toyota Hiace van was believed to have been stolen by a 21-year-old suspect between 1 am and 2 am yesterday.
He added that the man was later involved in an accident with a lorry while attempting to escape with the van at around 2.30 am.
-- BERNAMA
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