A premium coffin was discovered missing from a defunct funeral store in Hong Kong on Tuesday morning (18 Aug).
In an apparent attempt to conceal the theft, a visibly lower-quality coffin had been left in its place.
Source: HK01
Police received the report at 11.17am from a closed funeral store at 17 Cooke Street in Hung Hom, where a coffin and metal stand were found missing.
The light-coloured wooden coffin was the only one left in the shop. HK01 estimated its value at HK$20,000 (S$3,200) to HK$30,000 (S$4,900), while am730 put it at about HK$33,000 (S$5,400).
A darker, much lower-quality coffin was found where the original had been, which the shop’s caretaker immediately recognised as different.
Source: HK01
Police classified the case as theft, and no arrests have been made so far.
The shop’s caretaker, surnamed Chan, said he had returned to the premises to clean after neighbouring businesses complained of an unpleasant smell resembling that of a dead rat.
When he entered the shop, he found that the premium coffin and its metal stand, which was used to move coffins, were missing.
Source: HK01
As there were no signs that the metal gate had been forced open, Mr Chan said he suspected that former employees familiar with the shop may have been involved.
HK01 also reported that Mr Chan referred to past misconduct involving former staff. The Standard separately reported that the front door lock appeared loose and could be pushed open easily.
Source: The Standard 英文虎報 on Facebook
Mr Chan also reportedly had video footage from around the time the shop closed and could recognise some former employees in it, although he remained unsure how the theft had been carried out.
Mr Chan said the shop had operated for about 50 years before closing roughly two and a half years ago, after which he took responsibility for the premises and its assets as executor of the estate.
Source: The Standard 英文虎報 on Facebook
As he was not involved in the funeral industry himself, he planned to eventually sell the shop together with its relevant licence.
More than 100 urns containing the ashes of deceased people were still stored there after the closure, so Mr Chan continued returning to the shop to help families collect them.
According to on.cc, he visited weekly during the early stages of the closure. As most of the urns were gradually claimed, however, his visits became less frequent.
Mr Chan did not rule out the possibility that someone had taken advantage of this to enter the premises and steal the coffin.
Also read: Crematorium worker in Thailand brings coffin to petrol station to prove need for fuel
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Featured image adapted from HK01.