Staff Reporter
Mystery surrounds a recent break-in at a funeral parlour in Clocolan in the eastern Free State where thieves made off with an undisclosed amount of embalming powder and exhumation liquid used to preserve dead bodies.
Provincial police spokesperson Sam Makhele said in a statement released Monday that the suspects broke down the roller door at the Rest in Peace Funeral Parlour in Clocolan on April 28 to gain entry and broke open a steel cabinet that contained the highly toxic substances.
It is however not clear what the thieves want to do with them but police believe they could be used to manufacture illicit drugs.
“According to experts in (the funeral) undertaking business the intention might be to use with drugs,” said Makhele.
The embalming powder helps prevent bodies from smelling and the spread of infections to people handling them.
The exhumation liquid contains about 97 percent alcohol and can cause serious bodily harm if not handled correctly.
According to Makhele, the embalming powder is mostly used when a body is to be transported over a long distance such as cross-border travel.
The exhumation liquid is also used to prevent bad smell and infections when the remains of the deceased are retrieved from graves for further investigation.
“The stolen powders are white in colour and some are shaped like gold crystals. They can destroy the human bones and flesh instantly,” he said.
The thieves also made away with the funeral parlour’s first-aid kit.
No arrests have been made and a case of business burglary is being investigated.