Elderly woman saved lakhs in box for Mecca pilgrimage. Termites destroyed the money

The woman's grandson shared a photograph of the tattered currency notes on Facebook. (Image: qhaiey/Facebook)

An elderly woman’s lifelong dream of embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca was shattered when her entire life savings were consumed by a swarm of termites. The incident garnered widespread attention after the Malaysian woman’s grandson shared the incident on social media, accompanied by shocking images of the ravaged banknotes.

According to reports, the unnamed senior citizen had diligently set aside RM30,000 (approximately Rs 5.40 lakh) in a box, hoping to make the sacred journey to Mecca in 2024. However, her dreams were reduced to fragments as she discovered that the termites had chewed the banknotes into leaf-like shapes, rendering them worthless.

Khairul Azhar, her grandson, recalled the harrowing experience of witnessing his grandmother's life savings reduced to tatters. He attempted to salvage the situation by sending half of the destroyed bills to the Central Bank of Malaysia, hoping for replacements. The damage to the other half was beyond repair.

In his post, he also wrote that the incident serves as a sign that it was not his grandmother's time to go to Mecca. He also warned against storing money at home.

The incident sparked a wave of empathy and concern on social media, with users sharing their suggestions and cautionary tales about the perils of storing cash at home. Many suggested that cash should be converted to gold to store at home.

Termites' appetite for wood-based materials, including banknotes that contain cellulose, has resulted in similar incidents in the past. A Chinese woman lost a staggering $65,000 (over Rs 53 lakh) to termites back in 2013 in a similar incident.