A MAN found with an 800-year-old mummy in his cooler bag has claimed it is his “girlfriend” of three decades who sleeps in his bedroom with him.
Julio Cesar Bermejo, 26, confessed he had been cosying up to the centuries-old skeleton after police made the shock find.
Julio Cesar Bermejo crammed the 800-year-old mummy in his cooler bag[/caption]
He dubbed the corpse ‘Juanita’ and said it was his ‘spiritual girlfriend’ after mistakenly assuming it was female[/caption]
Horrified cops in Peru made the discovery after searching the 26-year-old[/caption]
He was searched by cops after they spotted him acting drunk and downing beers at an archeological site, the Mantaro viewpoint, in the city of Puno in Peru.
The former food delivery man was carrying a red cooler bag sporting the logo of a popular Uruguayan takeaway company, Pedidos Ya.
But officers were left stunned when they found a mummified cadaver crammed inside in the fetal position instead of fast food.
Bermejo said he had brought his ancient beau – who he nicknamed “Juanita” after mistakenly assuming it was female – to show his pals.
He explained: “At home, she’s in my room, she sleeps with me. There’s my bed, the TV set and next to it, there’s Juanita.
“I take care of her. It’s like, if you’ll pardon the expression, as if it were my spiritual girlfriend.”
Bermejo said the mummy had been given to him by his father and had been in their family for over 30 years.
He claimed they welcomed it into their home after plans to donate it to a museum failed, according to reports.
The delivery man said his family had purchased the mummy for £434, which he described as “a lot of money” at the time.
Although Bermejo moved his “spiritual girlfriend” into his bedroom, he was unaware that it was actually the body of an adult male.
Experts said the preserved corpse was between 600 and 800 years old and its bandages and positioning suggest it dates back to pre-Hispanic burials.
The mummified man is estimated to have been more than 45-years-old at the time of his death and around 4ft 11inches tall.
Bermejo denied trying to sell “Juanita” after bringing the mummy to the deserted site to show it off to his friends.
Police seized the relic and handed it over to Peru’s Ministry of Culture, who determined it was a “mummified adult male individual”.
One expert at the ministry quipped: “It’s not a Juanita, it’s a Juan”.
Bemjeo and his two friends were arrested on suspicion of crimes against Peru’s cultural heritage.
They will remain in custody while investigators look into the case, a government official told AFP on Tuesday.
Experts revealed the mummy was “presumably from the eastern area of Puno” and appeared to be well-preserved.
Officials from the Ministry of Culture said they had seized it “with the aim of protecting and preserving this heritage”.
Bermejo said the mummy shares his room and has been in his family for 30 years[/caption]
The centuries-old skeleton was seized by police and Peru’s Ministry of Culture[/caption]
The former delivery man and his pals were arrested at the archeological site[/caption]