A man stopped for drinking in a Peruvian park was discovered to be in possession of more than just a container of alcohol.
Authorities in the South American country said Juan Cesar Bermejo, 26, had a 600 to 800-year-old mummy in a cooler bag.
Bermejo, a food delivery man, was allegedly showing off the mummy to two friends in a park in the southern city of Puno on Saturday, according to the Peruvian National Police.
“I take care of her and she takes care of me,” Bermejo allegedly told police to justify the presence of the mummified corpse in his bag.
Police say Bermejo was on the job at the time he was stopped and searched.
According to police, Bermejo even named the mummy “Juanita” and referred to her as his “spiritual friend.”
However, authorities believe the mummy is a male. According to authorities, it is now in the hands of Peru’s Ministry of Culture.
It’s unclear how the man came to be in possession of the mummy. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, mummification was a common practice among several cultures in Peru.
In November 2021, archeologists in Peru discovered a mummy believed to be up to 1,200 years old in an underground tomb.
Bermejo has been charged with illegal possession of historical patrimony and faces up to 5 years in prison.
source:ghanaianexpress.com
