Kuala Lumpur - Followers of a religious cult in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state wrapped the body of their dead cult leader in plastic and laid it in his home for 13 months while waiting for him to be resurrected, a news report said Sunday.
The leader of the Benevolent Missionary Association, Ching Chi Vui aka Ivan, was believed to have told his followers not to bury him if he were to die, because he would come back to life, the Sunday Star reported.
Ching, 37, claimed to be a prophet but the sect was extremely secretive and followers kept to themselves. It was unclear if the sect had any links to the Philippines Benevolent Missionaries Association cult group, which has more than 1 million followers.
Police said neighbours had complained of late night chantings and prayers coming from the home, leading to the police discovery of the badly decomposed body.
During the raid Friday night, police also found three women in a separate room in the house praying for their leader to be resurrected, the report said.
Police detained the three women, and were awaiting post-mortem results on Ching's cause of death.
