Police officer arrested for artifact excavation, possession

CAIRO – 9 August 2017: A police officer was arrested in Sohag after he was found in possession of a rare pharaonic artifact which he excavated from a pit beneath his home.

The arrest was made after Major General Mostafa Onsi, Director of the General Directorate of Tourism and Antiquities Police, received information about a police officer searching for artifacts beneath his house in the village of Kumash Faw in Sohag.

A two meter long and three meter deep hole was found beneath the police officer’s home, ending in a cellar leading to a limestone wall with pharaonic inscriptions and carvings. The cellar is believed to have been part of an ancient temple.

The case was submitted to the Public Prosecution Office for further investigation.