Kulai surau seeks community support after hearse stolen and destroyed in Skudai Highway accident

JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 5 — The management of Surau Nurul Haq in Kampung Sungai Sayong 1, Kulai, has expressed deep regret and disappointment after the van intended to serve as the surau’s hearse was stolen and severely damaged in a road accident yesterday.

Bilal of the surau, Zahiruzaman Saim, said the vehicle had been obtained from a government department last December through a property disposal process but had not yet been put to use for funeral services.

“We had only managed to repaint it and place stickers on the van. It wasn’t fully functional yet as the stretcher had not been installed. For now, we were only using it within the village, not on public roads,” he told Bernama.

He explained that the surau, which has around 30 families in its congregation, previously depended on the Kampung Murni Jaya Mosque’s hearse to transport bodies to the Kampung Sayong 1 Muslim Cemetery. However, in cases where multiple funerals took place on the same day, delays often occurred. At times, members had to step in by offering their own multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) to transport the deceased.

“With our own hearse, we believed we would no longer need to trouble others for a vehicle. I never expected such an incident to happen — but it has,” he said.

While accepting the matter as fate, Zahiruzaman said the surau is now planning to look for another suitable used van to be converted into a hearse and is welcoming donations from the public.

The incident took place early yesterday when a man allegedly stole the van and later crashed it while attempting to escape.

Kulai district police chief ACP Tan Seng Lee said the 21-year-old suspect is believed to have stolen the Toyota Hiace van between 1am and 2am, before colliding with a lorry at around 2.30am along Jalan Skudai. He was subsequently arrested. — Bernama