Thailand cracks down on illicit artefact racket: Trio arrested with trove of history

A significant victory was recorded in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural artefacts in Thailand with the apprehension of three individuals suspected to be key figures in the racket. The police, in conjunction with the Fine Arts Department, successfully conducted an operation which led to the arrest of these suspects and the recovery of about 1,000 historical artefacts.

The course of the investigation revealed a dual-structured operation with one group assigned to the excavation of these invaluable items and another tasked with their sale. The artefacts, a collection of bronze sculptures, tattoo kits, silver coins, cowrie shells and pieces of jewellery, some of which date back over a thousand years, were sold to oblivious buyers via posts on Facebook.

The police, in a bid to confirm the authenticity of these items, had gone…