More arrests in Pingyao cultural relics theft

Updated: 2017-02-21
( chinadaily.com.cn)

Police have arrested 15 suspects with another 5 wanted for questioning on charges of stealing 10 murals from Longtian Temple in Pingyao on Nov 5 last year.

Two of the suspects, surnamed Sun and Si, were apprehended in a raid in Yicheng county and a third, surnamed Li, was captured in Tunliu county on Nov 25, 2016.

During the raid, a number of bronze ware items, porcelain, and frescoes were seized.

Those arrested, have given the police information of other members involved in the theft, as well as other thefts and illegal sales of cultural relics.

Police in Jinzhong city and Pingyao county put together a special unit to investigate the case and recover the relics. From Dec 2 to 28, the unit seized a further 12 members of the gang and detected 27 thefts across Shanxi province.

A total of 10 boxes of ceramics, 260 mural paintings, and 529 pieces of bronze ware and porcelain have been retrieved during the investigation, with 19 of them classified as national third-level cultural relics.

The investigation continues.

Currently, there are 19 national cultural relic protection sites and 101 provincial and county protection units in Pingyao. As a county heavily relying on tourism, the Pingyao government has said it will strengthen the protection and supervision of cultural relics.