TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A suspected grave robber was found dead after apparently becoming trapped in a hole he had dug to try to pilfer the contents of a coffin, while a local folklore expert suggests he met his demise at the hands of "Good Brothers."
At about 8 a.m. on Saturday (June 15), a man was found with his upper body buried in a small hole just above a coffin, while his legs were in the air in a cemetery in Meizhen Baijiali Cemetary in Changhua County's Hemei Township, reported Apple Daily. The pit was 50 by 70 centimeters in width and was 90 centimeters deep.
When authorities questioned relatives of those buried in the cemetery, they said they did not recognize the man. Police believe that the man had tried to dig a hole to rob from the coffin below, but somehow became trapped and suffocated.
Hemei Township police said that the deceased suspect was a middle-aged man about 170 cm in height and judging by the decomposition of his limbs, he had been dead for some time, reported SETN. They said the bare-chested man was balding, missing teeth, and was wearing jeans and a watch, but there were no obvious signs of trauma.
Next to the man, police found a pair of blue and white shoes and a briefcase, which contained small hammers, saws, carving knives, and other tools. Next to the suitcase, Police also found a 100-cm-long shovel, lighter, and gloves.
Shoes found on the scene. (Hemei Police Department photo)
Police are appealing to the public in hope of finding friends or relatives of the deceased, or anyone else who knew of a person fitting this description and was known to be in the area at the time, asking them to contact the Hemei Police Department.
Police suspect that the man was an outsider who had accidentally died late at night while trying to steal from the grave. Officers said that the size of the hole was much larger than those typically made by grave robbers, so they are not sure if he was inexperienced or had some other motivation.
Because there were no other means of transportation to the spot, police suspect that the man had accomplices who took him to the scene. Police are now reviewing nearby surveillance monitors to further investigate the case.
Lighter and watch found at scene. (Hemei Police Department photo)
Yang Teng-ko, a well-known folk religion expert told SETN that grave robbers often meet their demise when plying their trade. "In fact, the dead have power in the dark. If that man had done something bad, it will actually offend the dead, and indeed there will be a strange phenomenon," said Yang.
Yang said that if the incident was a grave robbery, it is likely that the dead "Good Brothers" (好兄弟) joined forces to punish him, deliberately causing him to fall into the grave. "Maybe he [the man] wanted to take something from the coffin at that moment. The dead deliberately caused him to trip and as a result, he fell head over heels into the pit. Maybe he slipped and hit his head, or whatnot. In the end, he met misfortune and died," said Yang.
