175 grave robbers arrested in biggest-ever tomb raid
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E-mail Xinhua, May 27, 2015
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The photo, taken on April 10, 2015, shows an ancient jade artifact meant to depict a coiled dragon, which was recovered after 175 people were busted for conducting a large-scale raid on ancient tombs in the city of Lingyuan, Liaoning province. China's Ministry of Public Security made the mass arrest public on May 26, 2015. [Xinhua] |
Chinese police apprehended 175 tomb raiders in an operation which saw 1,168 cultural relics recovered, the Ministry of Public Security announced on Tuesday.
Described as the biggest swoop of its kind since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the ministry valued the looted artifacts at more than 500 million yuan (80 million U.S. dollars).
The tomb raiders are suspected of illegal excavations in Niuheliang, a Neolithic site in northeastern Liaoning Province. Their activities have seriously damaged the site, said the ministry.
The recovered artifacts include a coiled jade dragon, one of the earliest known representations of the Chinese totem.
Police said the tomb raiders, who belong to ten gangs, had a clear division of labor covering the whole process from excavation to sales. More than 1,000 police officers participated in the operation.
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