Chinese thieves demand ransom for return of funeral ashes stolen from a cemetery
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 December, 2015, 1:38pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 December, 2015, 1:45pm
Gloria Chan
[email protected]

The grave where the ashes were stolen in Shaanxi province. Photo: Qq.com
Two men from northern China have been accused of stealing funeral ashes from a cemetery and demanding cash from the dead person’s family to return their remains, according to a newspaper report.
The pair were arrested in Shangluo in Shaanxi province, the Huashang Daily said.
One of the unemployed men stole a funeral urn from the martyrs’ cemetery in the city earlier this month, the report said.
The other then rang the cemetery demanding 20,000 yuan (HK$24,000) from the dead person’s family to return the ashes.
Relatives paid 3,000 yuan, but the pair continued to ask for more money, the report said.
The pair were eventually caught by the police at an internet cafe on December 24, three days after the ashes were taken.
Police found the funeral urn hidden near the bank of a river, the newspaper said.