Police crack tomb raids

Suizhou police authorities of Hubei province announced on Nov 4 they have arrested three gangs of suspected tomb raiders and illegal dealers of cultural relics, taking over 198 priceless antique pieces including a national treasure — the Tripod of Zenghou Bao — the Chutian Metropolis Daily reported.

The case, filed on May 8, was the biggest grave robbery reported in Hubei’s history. Among the cultural relics regained, eight are identified by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage as Class A cultural properties under national protection, 36 are Class B, and 104 are Class C. The value of the Class C relics adds up to more than 100 million yuan ($16 million), while Class A and B relics are priceless.

Police retrieved one of the eight Class A relics — the Tripod of Zenghou Bao —from a local entrepreneur in Haining, Zhengjiang province, in mid-October. The tripod, buried with Zenghou Bao, the king of Sui in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), is 500 years older than the chimes of Zenghou Yi, the icon treasure of Hubei Museum. Its nearly 2,500-year history and the association with the King Zenghou Bao make the tripod a national treasure.

Suizhou police arrested members of the three gangs, comprising 20 suspects, after more than 20 investigative trips to Beijing, and to Zhejiang and Henan provinces. These groups have been conducting tomb-raiding and antique-dealing activities in Suizhou, of Hubei; Luoyang, of Henan; and Zaozhuang, of Shandong, for a long time.

So far, apart from the returning relics, nearly 12 million yuan ($1.92 million) in illicit money has been frozen, and a small number of relics are still being sought.

The investigation has determined that the crimes of tomb robbery and relic trafficking have spawned an integrated underground industry chain. Criminals seek tomb information, identify ancient tombs and dig graves, while higher up in the organization, group heads work on cultural-relics transactions and make deals.

Suizhou, one of the cradles of Chinese civilization with an abundant historical and cultural heritage, is improving its ancient-tomb protection network with patrols of tomb areas and with video surveillance. Local villagers are also employed as volunteer coordinators to monitor tomb-raiding situations in rural areas.

Meanwhile, experts called for the death penalty to be restored for tomb-raiding crimes, saying keeping and enforcing the death sentence will deter grave robbers from trafficking more treasures overseas.

According to The Criminal Law Amendment (Ⅷ) issued last year, tomb robbery was among the 13 crimes that received exemption from death penalty.

TV shows on treasure evaluation and grave-robbing novels also stimulate tomb-raiding crimes, experts say.