Indonesian fisherman steals 2.6kg of gold from mosque dome
Instead of looking into the depths of the sea to make his fortune, a fisherman in Indonesia looked up and decided to strike gold – by stealing it off the top of a mosque.
But he did not make it rich with his prized “catch”, as he was netted by the local police on March 7, according to local media, days after he had allegedly committed the theft on March 4.
The police had recovered the 2.6kg of gold decorations – which had been affixed to the dome of the Al Huda Mosque in Indonesia’s Maluku province – buried in a forest at nearby Kayeli Village, reported Indonesian media outlet Kompas.
Kayeli Village head Fandi Ashari Wael told Kompas that the stolen loot, valued at 3 billion Indonesian rupiah (S$256,940), was the product of an initiative from miners, villagers and the village government. They started collecting gold in 2013.
The gold decorations, which included a gold sculpture of the word Allah in Arabic, had become a symbol of pride for the village, he added.
Maluku news outlet Orasi Rakyat reported that police had presented the recovered items, along with the suspect, at a news conference on March 11.
The 67-year-old fisherman, identified as Amin Gay, had fled Kayeli Village by speedboat after trying to hide the stolen decorations on the same day, police said.
He was arrested in Namlea Village – which is located across a sea from Kayeli – on March 7, and taken back to the scene of the crime to reconstruct his theft, as villagers witnessed.
According to Harian Kompas, he committed his theft with the help of ladders and other tools.
Police said he told them that he had stolen the gold because he was in debt.
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