The Egyptian tourism authorities seized Saturday five ancient coffins, 63 statues and about 5,000 coins at the houses of three fugitives in northern Beni Suef governorate, official news agency MENA reported.
Earlier Saturday, the authorities seized two suspected Pharaonic coffins, 42 statues and about 5,000 coins, at the houses of two men who managed to escape before the police reached their homes in Beni Suef, some 120 km south of the capital Cairo.
The two human-shaped old, fragile wooden coffins have engraved drawings and Hieroglyphic writings and with a mummy inside one of them.
Meanwhile, the authorities are intensifying efforts to arrest the third fugitive who possesses a number of rare golden Pharaonic statues which he prepared for sale.
By searching the escapee’s house, the police found another three coffins with mummies inside and 21 statues, six of which are made of gold and granite.
Smuggling and trading antiquities have recently spread in Egypt due to deteriorating security following the January 2011 upheaval that toppled the country’s former President Hosni Mubarak.
Some eyewitnesses repeatedly reported the appearance of large holes in the ground near the Pyramids of Giza, indicating stealth digging in search for antiquities.
Egypt is known for its ancient monuments dating back to the times of the Pharaohs, constantly attracting tourists from all over the world.
Xinhuanet
