Greek priest held over treasure hunt

27/1/2012

POLICE in northern Greece have arrested a village priest and a church elder for allegedly digging for treasure around the altar in the church.

A police statement on Friday says villagers complained of loud drilling noises late yesterday from the church at Fyska near Kilkis, some 50 kilometres north of Thessaloniki.

Officers found a two-by-one-meter hole in the chancel of the 150-year-old church of the Prophet Elijah. Police are seeking four other people suspected of taking part in the illegal dig – in which a pneumatic drill was used.

Illegal treasure hunting has increased amid Greece’s acute financial crisis. In recent months, police have made a string of arrests, mainly in the north of the country, and located several tunnels.

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