A theft of archeological treasures was committed in the Eprave cave in Rochefort. The archeological supervisor for the cave and other similar sites realised the theft had happened on Friday. This was indicated in the daily publication L'Avenir.
The perpetrators cut through a grate to get inside the cave. Inside the cave and indeed up to a depth of 150 metres, the robbers penetrated a multitude of holes within the rock walls.
The daily publication says they probed the walls using metal detectors, and used pickaxes the minute a metal object set them off.
Hard cheese for the perpetrators, as the incident is categorised as a lesser indictable offence by the WCTUHP (the Walloon Code for Territory Urbanism and Heritage Planning).
L'Avenir states, “It is strictly prohibited to use metal detectors without permission on an archeological site. In addition, if you wish to look for archeological remains, you need a permit from the Heritage Minister.”
Rochefort's Acting Mayor, Corine Mullens, confirmed that a complaint had been made.
She stated having taken no action to secure the site to avoid future thefts.
Ms Mullens said, "The most urgent action required was making the complaint. She further said, “This cave is no longer accessible to the public,” also adding, “In fact, I have never known it be open to the public.”
The Brussels Times
