Spanish authorities arrested a group of thieves on Sunday for allegedly stealing the graves containing around 2,000 crosses, according to the Telegraph.
Police discovered and arrested a gang that mainly targeted cemeteries and stole large numbers of crosses from graves. according to According to the Telegraph, around 2,000 crosses were stolen, to be melted down for processing into metal. The theft was described as highly organised, with hundreds of statues of Jesus taken from headstones and family graves.
A thief has been arrested after stealing 2,000 crosses from a Spanish cemetery.
to follow: translation: pic.twitter.com/Kj6rJyrqyq
— AF Post (@AFpost) July 2, 2024
The crosses were then crushed into small pieces in metal crushers to make them easier to melt down and sell as scrap metal, the media reported. The case came to light following the arrest of six people, four on suspicion of theft and two on suspicion of receiving stolen property. The arrests come after police solved 19 other cases of theft, including the recovery of 90 intact crosses from the El Casar de Escalona cemetery. (Related article: History's first math nerd identified in ancient grave)
During a raid on the gang's headquarters in an industrial park in the Madrid region, police found fragments of a cross weighing one ton, as well as a pure silver cross, documents relating to the sale of scrap copper and 17,440 euros (about $18,700) in cash, The Telegraph reported.
SEMIDES, GLANES, ARDENNE – SEPTEMBER 13: Graves of soldiers are lined up in the French-German World War I cemetery at the Orfeuilles National War Cemetery in Semides, France, on September 13, 2023. The German cemetery at Orfeuilles, along with the French side of the cemetery, was created by French military authorities on November 11, 1918 as a common grave to house the war dead of both sides in the final battle that took place in the area in October 1918. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
The case has caused great public anxiety, and according to The Telegraph, Castile-La Mancha government representative Milagros Torron praised the police for their efforts in solving the delicate case. Those arrested were due to appear in court next Monday to be charged with their involvement in the blasphemous plot.
