Man arrested in Peru for carrying ancient mummy in his cooler bag

By Yavuz Aydin

ANKARA (AA) - Police in Peru have arrested a delivery man in the southern city of Puno after discovering a 600 to 800-year-old mummy in his cooler bag.

According to local media, police found the mummy while patrolling a park where 26-year-old Julio Cesar Bermejo was drinking with two other men.

The mummy was found "in a fetal position" inside a red refrigerated courier bag carried by Bermejo, said Marco Antonio Ortega, a spokesperson for the Puno region’s National Police.

Speaking to local media, Bermejo described the mummy, whom he called "Juanita," as his "spiritual girlfriend," adding it was brought home by his father and has been in his family’s possession for almost 30 years.

"At home, she is in my room. She sleeps with me. I take care of her," he said.

Police said Bermejo remains in custody.

The mummy, classified as a national cultural asset, has been taken under the custody of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.

The ministry said the mummy, once believed to be a ‘she,’ was identified as an adult male over 45 years old and 1.51 meters (about 5 feet) tall.

Peru is home to hundreds of archaeological sites belonging to various civilizations that developed before and after the Inca Empire.

In 2021, archaeologists found another mummy, estimated to be 800 to 1,200 years old, in a region near the country's capital, Lima.

*Writing by Anna Cecilia Canatan