Beijing: A Chinese court has severely punished four persons, including awarding two of them suspended death sentences, for stealing precious cultural relics in ancient tombs in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
The Xi'an Intermediate People's Court on Monday gave suspended death sentences to Qiu Zhaojun and Lu Fuping, and 15 years' imprisonment to Xiong Yifang and Ding Xinxian.
Qiu and Lu's personal property was confiscated as part of the sentence.
The other two were also fined $25,000 and $12,500 respectively.
The four from Shaanxi, Jiangsu and Henan provinces, illegally dug at an ancient tomb from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) in Lantian County, Xi'an, in January and stole 119 items.
Shaanxi, the site of China's capital for 13 dynasties over a period of more than 1,000 years, has a large number of royal mausoleums and tombs.
These contain thousands of valuable relics, said Chen Xianqi, an official with the Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage.
"For years, these tombs have attracted criminals from both home and abroad," Chen was quoted as saying by China Daily.
"The punishment shows our authorities' determination to fight against this crime," an expert with Shaanxi Cultural Relics Protection Centre, Zhang Zaimin said.
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