Police Arrest 25-Year-Old Man in Probe Into Quran Theft and Burning Cases in Negeri Sembilan

KUALA LUMPUR, AUGUST 2026 — Police have detained a 25-year-old man as part of an investigation into several incidents involving the alleged theft and burning of copies of the Quran in Senawang, Seremban and Kuala Lumpur.

Negeri Sembilan Police Chief Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said the arrest followed a public complaint about a fire near a field in Senawang on Aug. 22. Checks at the scene found that several copies of the Quran had been involved in the fire.

On the same day, police also received a separate report concerning the alleged theft of Quran copies from a mosque in Forest Height, Seremban, at about 4.45pm.

Following investigations into the two incidents, officers traced the man to Kuala Lumpur and arrested him during a raid at a hotel in Chow Kit at approximately 9.30pm on Aug. 24.

The man has been detained to assist police in establishing whether the various incidents are connected.

During a search of the hotel room, police found two bags containing 16 copies of the Quran.

Officers also seized three mobile phones and personal belongings believed to belong to the suspect.

According to Alzafny, investigators believe the Quran copies found in the bags may have been removed without permission from mosques and suraus around the Chow Kit area.

Police are also investigating whether some of the copies may have come from a university in northern Malaysia after ownership stamps linked to the institution were discovered on several of them.

Investigators subsequently searched a family-owned residence linked to the suspect in Senawang.

Police recovered 36 Quran covers from a room associated with the man. Preliminary investigations indicate that the discovery may be connected to the earlier burning incident near the field in Senawang.

Authorities have not publicly detailed how investigators believe each recovered item is linked to the individual incidents, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Police are investigating the case under Sections 380 and 295 of the Penal Code.

Section 380 concerns theft in certain premises, while Section 295 relates to acts involving places of worship or objects regarded as sacred when carried out with the intention of insulting a religion.

The investigation is still at the police stage, and no court finding of guilt has been made against the detained man.

Investigators are now attempting to establish the full sequence of events and determine whether Quran copies reported missing from religious premises are connected to those recovered in Kuala Lumpur and Senawang.

The discovery of multiple copies, Quran covers and property markings from different locations means police will likely need to trace the origin of the items as part of the investigation.

Police have so far said their preliminary investigation links the items found in Senawang to the earlier burning case.

Alzafny also said the suspect has four previous criminal records and had completed a police supervision order approximately two months before the latest arrest.

Those past records are separate from the allegations currently under investigation and do not establish guilt in the present case.

The case remains under investigation as police work to determine the source of the recovered Quran copies, the circumstances surrounding their alleged removal from religious premises and how the burning incident in Senawang occurred.

Authorities have not announced any charge against the man in relation to the latest investigation as of the reported update.

The arrest forms part of a wider effort to establish whether several reports recorded in Negeri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur involve the same individual or are otherwise connected.