Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said today the Health Ministry statement that it does not have records of the man responsible for vandalising a Hindu temple in Ipoh as suffering from mental issues is not correct.

Khalid said the ministry deputy director-general Dr S Jeyaindran, who made the statement, had merely referred to government hospitals and did not refer to records from private hospitals.

“I want to confirm here that the suspect had undergone mental health treatment, since 2013, at KPJ Ipoh (Specialist Hospital).

“We would not be making statements before checking the fact firsts. So I ask any quarter to check the facts first before making statements,” Khalid said at a press conference in Kuching.

This, he added, is to avoid confusion from arising.

“I advise that the health deputy director-general checks his facts first before making statements,” Khalid said.

He also confirmed that police have received instructions from the attorney-general for the suspect to be charged, either today or tomorrow.

The suspect is said to have run amok during the incident last Sunday, breaking into the temple In Ipoh and destroying several statues.

He later crashed his car into a bus stop, not far from the temple, while trying to escape and was subsequently arrested by the police.

Khalid on Monday had urged the Hindu community to remain calm, explaining that the suspect was mentally unstable. However, several groups have cast doubts on whether the suspect was truly unsound.

Jeyaindran was quoted by The Malay Mail today as saying that the Health Ministry was not aware that the suspect was suffering from any mental disorder.