The Exhumation of a Grave in Bota Over Suspicions of Being Buried Alive
Many strange events occurred in Perak in the past. While they may lack historical value, these stories are worth sharing so the new generation knows what happened in Perak long ago.
This is a true story that took place in Bota, Perak, in late 1970. It concerns the suspicions of local residents after burying a man they believed had been buried alive following a series of strange occurrences. The late Mohd Zain Bin Kulup Besar was the individual believed to have been alive when buried after being presumed dead. His grave was eventually exhumed by villagers to see for themselves what had transpired. According to the deceased's younger brother, Mr. Ramli, the grave was reopened 23 days after the burial. The body appeared to be in good condition despite being buried for over three weeks; it looked as if it had only been buried for two days. The late Mohd Zain Bin Kulup Besar passed away after fainting upon returning from watching television in Bota Kanan. His body was subsequently buried by the villagers. However, what happened after the burial was truly shocking. The entire town of Bota was in an uproar when claims emerged that loud, incessant knocking sounds were coming from inside the grave of the late Mohd Zain Bin Kulup Besar. This was the strange event that was the talk of the town in Bota at the time.
Not stopping there, the deceased's brother, Mr. Ramli, also shared that he dreamt of his brother being alive in the grave and being instructed to dig it up to rescue him. When he met his brother in the dream, his brother said that he was not actually dead and asked his brother to bring him food because he was starving in the dark, cramped grave.
Mr. Ramli initially thought the dream was just a figment of his imagination, but what was shocking was that he was not the only one who had the dream. It could be said that their neighbors had similar dreams to Mr. Ramli. Consequently, feeling uneasy, they went to the Bota Kanan police station to report the matter and request permission to exhume the grave of the late Mohd Zain Bin Kulup Besar 23 days after the burial.
Finally, Mr. Ramli and the villagers went to the grave of the late Mohd Zain Bin Kulup Besar to proceed with the exhumation. They began digging at 8:00 PM after receiving permission from the Bota Kanan police station. Upon exhumation, the body of the late Mohd Zain Bin Kulup Besar appeared as if it were still fresh, and there was absolutely no foul odor coming from the grave. After examining the body and confirming that he had indeed passed away, they reburied the grave, and no further knocking sounds were heard thereafter. Source: Berita Harian, 17 December 1970
