Police apprehend Xi'an tomb robbers
By Jia Feishang |
November 26, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THIEVES in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, have been caught after they had ransacked the tombs where the ancestors of Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC) are buried and stolen 2,000-year-old relics.
Using explosives to make a tunnel leading to the underground tombs, the thieves were able to remove relics in secret, but on returning the next day, they were caught by police. One of the stolen relics has already been recovered, the China Business View reported yesterday.
Traces of the robbery in the Dongling Tombs of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), containing the parents and grandparents of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in the Chinese history, were first discovered on October 8.
"A hole has been dug in the cotton field above the tombs, and gloves, cigarette packets and even walkie-talkies, which were left behind by the tomb robbers, were found by police nearby," Wang Jingzhu, a villager responsible for watching the tombs, was quoted as?saying.
The hole, approximately the width of one person, is about 36 meters deep and reaches to the center of the tombs. It appears to have been made using explosives, said the report.
After discovering the tunnel, police set up guard in case the suspects returned. One day after their find, the robbers came back to finish their work and were caught at the scene.
A total of nine suspects have so far been caught by police, but none of them admitted to having stolen the relics, the Xinhua news agency reported?yesterday.
The entrance to the hole has now been blocked, and more people have been sent to patrol the area every day.
The Dongling Tombs appear to have been robbed before - within the tombs police found wooden pieces of coffins scattered around randomly. However, no detailed information or descriptions of any relics that might have previously?been stolen can be gathered, "because no archaeological excavation has been carried out on the site," said the Xinhua report.
Using explosives to make a tunnel leading to the underground tombs, the thieves were able to remove relics in secret, but on returning the next day, they were caught by police. One of the stolen relics has already been recovered, the China Business View reported yesterday.
Traces of the robbery in the Dongling Tombs of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), containing the parents and grandparents of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in the Chinese history, were first discovered on October 8.
"A hole has been dug in the cotton field above the tombs, and gloves, cigarette packets and even walkie-talkies, which were left behind by the tomb robbers, were found by police nearby," Wang Jingzhu, a villager responsible for watching the tombs, was quoted as?saying.
The hole, approximately the width of one person, is about 36 meters deep and reaches to the center of the tombs. It appears to have been made using explosives, said the report.
After discovering the tunnel, police set up guard in case the suspects returned. One day after their find, the robbers came back to finish their work and were caught at the scene.
A total of nine suspects have so far been caught by police, but none of them admitted to having stolen the relics, the Xinhua news agency reported?yesterday.
The entrance to the hole has now been blocked, and more people have been sent to patrol the area every day.
The Dongling Tombs appear to have been robbed before - within the tombs police found wooden pieces of coffins scattered around randomly. However, no detailed information or descriptions of any relics that might have previously?been stolen can be gathered, "because no archaeological excavation has been carried out on the site," said the Xinhua report.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
