Security forces seized 40 pieces that make up the top parts of Pharaonic Shawabti figurines, an Egyptian security source said on Thursday. The artifacts were stolen from the Cairo University excavation warehouses located in the archeological Saqqara region in Giza.

Investigations revealed that the suspects were surreptitiously digging and drilling then burying the figurine pieces in the sand until they could be sold.

A source said that following investigations, a number of search teams were formed which were dispatched to the site in order to search for the stolen figurine pieces. The 40 faience pieces covered in Pharaonic inscriptions were found buried in the sand, along with a 48 centimeter long limestone door, and two reliefs engraved with hieroglyphic text.