The town hall announces that it has filed a collective complaint. Several surrounding town cemeteries were also reportedly affected by the looting.
No less than 300 graves were looted by metal thieves in the small cemetery of Houdain, near Béthune, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday January 26, we learned this Saturday from the town hall of this commune. of just 7,000 souls.
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It was people who came to pray at the graves of their loved ones who made the surprising discovery on Wednesday morning. The graves in question were stripped of their ornaments and various metal, brass or copper objects.
While most of these objects were taken directly by the thieves, some were gathered in a heap in a corner of the cemetery. Everything suggests that they were going to be recovered later. Several dozen complaints have already been filed with the Bruay-la-Buissière gendarmerie, to which the investigation has been entrusted.
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This Saturday, the town hall of Houdain had exceptionally opened its doors to allow those who wish to come and see the photos of the looted tombs or to report themselves as victims of the said looting. By mid-afternoon, no less than 50 people had already made the trip. The municipality has also told us that it has filed a collective complaint. And to indicate that “other cemeteries in surrounding municipalities are also affected.»
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