SHENYANG, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A court in northeast China has sentenced four people to imprisonment for illegally excavating and looting an ancient cultural site.

The main culprit, Hu, received an 11-month prison sentence. Two were sentenced to 10 months in prison, and another will stay behind the bars for eight months with a one-year reprieve, according to the People's Court of Lingyuan city, Liaoning Province. The four were each fined 1,000 yuan (147 U.S. dollars).

On Nov. 8, 2019, the four villagers drove to Lingyuan to search for coins in ancient tombs. The following day, Hu used a metal detector which alerted the group to something buried in a crop field. As they were digging, local villagers became aware of their activities and called the police. Three of the four were arrested two days later, and the other voluntarily surrendered in January this year.

Experts from the Liaoning Provincial Museum confirmed that the excavated area is an ancient cultural site under national protection, and that it has significant historic, artistic and scientific value. The group's actions have led to the loss of historic information, according to the museum.