Man arrested for stealing 56 skulls from cemeteries and setting up a skeleton museum at his home in Austria

A man has been arrested after police found 56 skulls and other human skeletal remains which had been stolen from graves in a museum at his home.

Police conducted a search of the house in Austria's Burgenland province after the unidentified 47-year-old tried to sell three of the skulls and two thigh bones at a flea market.

Detectives discovered the man had created a museum in his home which contained the skulls and 55 other bones.

State broadcaster ORF said Tuesday that the bones were taken from graves of a church cemetery.

Detectives displayed some of the skulls in a cardboard box at a news conference today.

Speaking to The Guardian, a police spokesman said he had never encountered such a case in his 37 years in the force.

He said he did not know why the man had collected the bones or why he had tried to sell some of them.

'But there's nothing new under the sun,' he said.

The man has been charged by police with 'disturbing the peace of the dead' following the discovery.

Police said the bones had now been returned to the cemetery.

Thursday 18 July 2013

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