Police arrest two men in series of appalling tomb robberies

The Czech police have arrested two men suspected of robbing more than 70 graves in northern Bohemia. The men mainly targeted older, unkempt tombs in the region in search of gold teeth, medals and other relics. The investigators were shocked by their callousness; one of them said he was more interested in the thrill of tomb raiding than the actual loot.

Photo: CTK

One of the robbers, who is 48, was arrested on Saturday night at a cemetery in Ústí nad Labem, in the north of the country, just as he was going to raid yet another tomb. His 38-year-old accomplice, who usually served as the lookout, was detained several hours later. On Wednesday, the police held a special news conference where detective Martin Helcl described how they came across the series of appalling grave robberies.

“The robberies started in May or June 2011; that’s when we first heard that someone was moving the lids of tombs. By September, the men no longer bothered to close the tombs they robbed and we found that tin and zinc coffins had been ripped open. Then on Saturday, we arrested the two men right at the cemetery with equipment including face masks, crowbars and other tools as well as a short folding ladder which they used to descend into the tombs.”

Photo: CTK

After the arrest, the police searched the homes of the robbers and found more horrifying evidence including human teeth, gold fillings and various relics stolen from the graves, as well as a workshop with equipment used for cleaning the loot; one of the special-made tools was described by the police as giant tin opener. But the photos released by the police are even more morbid, showing human skulls adorned with plastic eyes and glasses, apparently for the robbers’ entertainment. Investigator Roman Kočí said he and his colleagues were appalled by the culprits’ attitude.

“One of the culprits was very cynical about what they did. He said raiding tombs was like an adrenalin sport and an adventure for him. He wasn’t really interested in any financial gains, unlike the other perpetrator who said that for him, money was the major motive.”

Photo: CTK

The police have so far proved that the two men robbed 70 graves, with the damages estimated at some 500,000 crowns. The investigators are now trying to determine whether they were also responsible for the 2010 robbery of a Roman Catholic bishop’s grave in Litoměřice where a golden ring and other relics were stolen. If found guilty of desecrating human remains, vandalism and theft, the two suspects would face up to three years in prison.