China arrests 175, recovers $80m in antiquities: state media

Chinese police have arrested 175 tomb raiders who allegedly made off with more than 1,100 historic cultural artefacts worth upwards of $80 million, state media said on Tuesday. The suspects are accused of carrying out illegal excavations in the northeastern province of Liaoning, state news agency Xinhua said, citing China's Ministry of Public Security. A total of 1,168 artefacts worth more than 500 million yuan ($80.6 million) were recovered in the police operation, which Xinhua said was the "biggest swoop of its kind since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949". Tomb raiding occurs with some regularity in China, whose ancient civilisation has left a wealth of relics underground. Police investigated 451 tomb-raiding cases in 2010, according to state media.