Residents living nearby first told local cultural officials in August that they found many holes around the Yidigang group of ancient tombs, just two kilometers from downtown Suizhou.
After noticing the disturbed earth, cigarette butts and discarded mineral water bottles, cultural officials suspected the tomb had been ransacked and reported it to local police.
The police then tracked down a group of people from Shandong Province who stayed at a local hotel during the day and went out at night taking spades and pickaxes. Just as the 12 suspects were making a getaway back to their hometown, the police nabbed them.
Police said the men had been pre-paid 2 million yuan by someone nicknamed "little fat man" in Shandong, who would pay another 2 million yuan later.
Police set up a sting operation with a resident of Wuhan, surnamed Zhang, who had been arrested in September and confiscated 148 pieces of ancient artworks, including 21 pieces stolen from the tombs in Suizhou.
Zhang told police he bought those antiques from "little fat man."
The police then used Zhang and bank records to catch "little fat man," who has been arrested but has yet to be identified.
Landmark building should respect the public's feeling
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