Details unfolded Attempt to steal the statue of Ramses II Which weighs about 2 tons, in an incident that is considered the strangest theft attempt in Egypt.
On Sunday, the Egyptian media reported the details of the strange theft attempt, as 3 people took advantage of their knowledge of antiquities excavation methods, and decided to carry out a major operation, which fulfilled their dream of quick wealth, and spared them the trouble of hard work for many years, as they believed.
And according to what was reported on the “Sada Al-Balad” website, the three people resorted to the idea of digging in the “Southern Quarry – Waterfall” area in Aswan Governorate, after they made sure that there was a huge statue below that area, and they gathered a number of men, to become 9 people, and began digging. Indeed, using primitive digging tools, including the ax, in addition to “plastic buckets”, in continuous attempts to move the statue from its place, as it is 3 meters long and a meter wide, and weighs about 2 tons.
While the thieves were working, they left 3 people to bring larger machines to raise the statue, and the guards of the archaeological area happened to pass by on a sudden tour, so they felt something suspicious had happened, and by exploring the site, it was revealed that there were excavation equipment.
Tools used in excavation
The guards were surprised when the three tried to move the ancient statue of King Ramses II, which is located in the old quarry area in Aswan. Immediately, the guards of the archaeological area seized the accused and the equipment, and the security services in the governorate, represented by the Tourism and Antiquities Police, were informed, and they were arrested, and it was found that the rest of the accused had escaped, and investigations confirmed that one of them was registered as dangerous.
The three defendants were referred to the Public Prosecution, which ordered their detention for 4 days pending investigations, then the opposition judge renewed their detention for another 15 days, and all surveillance cameras in the area were seized.
The Public Prosecution received investigations from the Egyptian Antiquities Investigation Department, which confirmed the validity of the incident. After listening to the confessions of the defendants, who were surprised that the statue belonged to King Ramses II, the Public Prosecution referred the accused to an urgent criminal trial.
