KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — They found the rose, all right. It was growing in a pot behind a mini-market at Pangsapuri Mawar Sari. But there was one problem. Where on earth was Tina?

That was the question confronting several participants in a community treasure hunt held at the apartment complex in Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday, October 31.

The question seemed simple enough: “Di manakah terdapat bunga mawar di sekeliling Tina?” (Where can you find roses surrounding Tina?). But as the participants discovered, appearances can be deceptive, especially when the answer is hiding in plain sight.

The answer was ROTINAS, a name displayed on a bread rack in front of the mini-market. The letters forming ROS surround TINA is in the name — RO before TINA and S after it. No wonder some participants went looking for an actual rose!

Then there was the other somewhat tricky question: “Secara ringkas, ia boleh membawa maksud dua penahanan di bawah Bahagian Kongsi Gelap, Judi dan Maksiat.” (In short, it could mean two arrests under the Secret Societies, Gambling and Vice Division)

Many participants correctly identified D7 as the designation for the Secret Societies, Gambling and Vice Division but failed to make sense of the reference to two arrests. The answer was D-7-2, a marking on one of the letterboxes on the ground floor of Block D.

Yet another question that had some of the participants baffled was “Munculnya dekan tanpa ketua wakil.” (The dean emerged without the head of ‘wakil’). The answer was DEWAN, derived from leaving out “w” (ketua wakil or head of wakil) to get DEAN, which in Malay is “dekan”.

The revelation of these particularly tricky answers brought surprise, delight and roars of laughter among the 50 participants, who competed in 25 teams of two. There were also cries of “I told you so!” as teammates realised that some of their earlier guesses had been right.

Jejak Harta Karun Mawar Sari 2026 was organised to foster greater unity and goodwill among residents, said Mohd Bahgia Mamat, chairman of the Kawasan Rukun Tetangga (KRT) Pangsapuri Mawar Sari. The hunt was flagged off by Rohaida Abdul Kadir, Assistant Director and Head of the Rukun Tetangga and Security Section at the Department of National Unity and Integration, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

The hunt was won by Zaza Crew, led by Zahid Ahmad Zuber Ahmad Khan, with 72.5 marks out of a maximum of 100. TREASURE HUNTERS, led by Mohd Amin Mohd Noor, finished second with 69.5 marks, while CITRINE, led by Nurin Nabilah Zahar, took third place with 68.5 marks.

Beyond the competition, the walk hunt brought neighbours together, encouraging observation, teamwork, creative thinking and, perhaps most importantly, friendship. Most of the participants found the rose, but it took a little imagination for a few to find Tina. — Bernama