Tomb raiders unearthing nation's precious history

Chinese archaeologists are facing a spate of professional tomb raiding.

The situation has been highlighted by the arrests of 12 alleged grave robbers in Sichuan province. They are suspected of stealing artifacts from a tomb dating to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in Ziyang, in a case worth about 1 million yuan ($161,000), police said.

The stolen pieces include two carved doors of the tomb chamber, as well as valuable items buried in it, Huaxi Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday.