The economic crisis in Lebanon has driven thieves to steal not only from the living who have little left to offer but also from the dead.
On Easter day, people in the town of Rayak Al-Fawqa in central Bekaa woke up to find that their local cemetery had been looted. Tens of iron doors to above-ground mausoleum crypts of the cemetery were stolen overnight.
According to NNA, authorities were able to arrest one suspect in connection to the theft and are investigating to find out about the thieving gang and the whereabouts of the stolen doors.
With the financial crisis and desperate need for fresh dollars, Lebanon has been seeing a rise in the theft of metal items such as iron and steel.
Not long ago, the country witnessed a surge in the theft of manhole covers, which are made of valuable cast iron. Steel mesh corners of transmission towers are also being targeted by thieves, causing one of these towers to collapse.
