The temples in Mahang and Selama, located about 4km apart are believed to be more than 100 years old.
According to a report in The Star Online, the caretaker of the Sri Muthumariamman temple in Mahang found a deity’s statue removed from its original spot and smashed, on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile in Suba Sri Sakthi Kanagavalli Temple in Tong Hurst Estate, Selama, the caretaker said the wooden door leading to the main hall of the temple had been pried open, and the statues of two main deities, smashed. The discovery was made on the afternoon of the same day.
Jewellery kept beneath the statues at both temples was also missing, said the report.
Kulim deputy police chief DSP Barudin Wariso said two suspects had been detained so far to assist police in the probe into both cases. He also confirmed the case would be investigated for break-in and theft.
The desecration comes on the heels of a spate of similar cases in Penang in the past two months.
On Sunday, the statues of three deities at the Sri Muneeswarar Temple in Jalan Tengku Kudin in George Town were found smashed – the fourth such case in the state in the last two months.
Back in April, a temple in Ipoh suffered a similar fate.