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Group Arrested For Allegedly Graverobbing 2,000 Crucifixes: REPORT

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Mariane Angela Entertainment And News Reporter
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Spanish authorities arrested a group of thieves Sunday for allegedly grave robbing about 2,000 crucifixes, The Telegraph reported.

A gang was arrested after police discovered they had stolen a ton of crucifixes from graves, primarily targeting cemeteries, according to The Telegraph. The operation involved the theft of approximately 2,000 crosses, which were then intended to be melted down for their metal. The thefts, described as highly organized, reportedly involved the removal of hundreds of statuettes of Christ from gravestones and family tombs.

The crosses were then pulverized into small pieces using a metal pulverizing mill, making them easier to melt down and sell as scrap metal, the outlet stated. The operation was exposed after the arrest of six individuals—four for theft and two for receiving stolen goods. These arrests came as police solved 19 specific theft cases, including the recovery of 90 intact crosses from the El Casar de Escalona cemetery. (RELATED: History’s First Math Dork Identified In Ancient Tomb)

During a raid on the gang’s center of operations, located on an industrial estate in the Madrid region, police found a haul of crucifix pieces weighing one ton. Additionally, they discovered a solid silver crucifix, documents relating to the sale of scrap bronze, and €17,440 (approx. $18,700) in cash, The Telegraph reported.

SEMIDE, ARDENNES, GRANCE - SEPTEMBER 13: Graves of soldiers are lined up in the Franco-German military cemetery of the First World War in the Orfeuil national war cemetery on September 13, 2023 in Semide, France. The German Orfeuil military cemetery was, at the same time as the French part of the cemetery, created by the French military authorities on November 11, 1918 as a collective cemetery for the fallen on both sides from the last battles in this area in October 1918. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

SEMIDE, ARDENNES, GRANCE – SEPTEMBER 13: Graves of soldiers are lined up in the Franco-German military cemetery of the First World War in the Orfeuil national war cemetery on September 13, 2023 in Semide, France. The German Orfeuil military cemetery was, at the same time as the French part of the cemetery, created by the French military authorities on November 11, 1918 as a collective cemetery for the fallen on both sides from the last battles in this area in October 1918. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

The incident has caused significant social alarm, with Milagros Tolón, the government delegate in the Castilla-La Mancha region, praising the police for their diligent efforts in resolving this sensitive case, according to The Telegraph. The arrested individuals were due to appear in court the following Monday, facing charges related to their involvement in this sacrilegious scheme.