Thieves steal plaques from $20,000 cemetery memorial wall
Families and friends grieving loved ones this Christmas have been delivered a second blow after 66 plaques were stolen from a memorial urn wall worth more than $20,000, at a Victorian cemetery.
Callous thieves took the brass and bronze plaques from the Kilmore Public Cemetery, in Melbourne’s north, earlier this month, police said.
They entered the cemetery on Kilmore-Lancefield Road sometime between 1 December and 17 December, police have been told.
Many have described the theft as “disgraceful” on social media.
“The dead can’t even rest in peace anymore. What is this world coming to?” one wrote on the Police Victoria Facebook page.
A number of people warned metal recyclers to be on the lookout for the plaques, while others said the plaques wouldn’t be worth much if sold.
The theft comes after grave-robbers struck the Cranbourne Cemetery, in the city’s south-east, in March, stealing at least a dozen name plates from burial plots.
Just weeks ago, ceramic angels and statues were smashed at gravesites at the Toronto Cemetery, Lake Macquarie, NSW, in an act labelled “disgusting” and “disrespectful”.
Investigators are keen to speak to any witnesses or anyone that may have seen any suspicious activity near the Kilmore cemetery this month.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
