A man dug a seventy-foot-long tunnel to a blank wall when the Alawathugoda Police stopped him.

It had first been dug to a depth of about six to seven feet and from there horizontally to about 70 feet.

The treasure hunter had even employed five others to dig the tunnel and had paid each Rs 3000 a week, OIC Alawathugoda Police Ananda Smarakoon told The Island yesterday.

Alwathugoda, situated between Kandy and Matale is said to have been an abode of ancient kings and the house owner has been made to believe that were valuable treasure in the area.

Police on a tip off raided the house and after following the tunnel which was almost six feet in height found that at the end there was a wall blocking any further advance.

The house owner told Police that the treasure was believed to be placed just beyond the wall and when he was getting prepared to break that wall before going through certain rituals police had raided him.

The earth dug out from the tunnel had been stored in other rooms in the house. Police were tipped off by neighbours that the house had remained closed for a long time and suspicious activities had been going on in the vicinity.

The husband, wife and three others employed to dig the tunnel were arrested.