A man has been arrested in Peru after a 600- to 800-year-old mummy was found inside his cooler bag. According to police, on Saturday three men were found drinking in a park in the city of Puno when the remains were found.

The man, 26-year-old Julio Cesar Bermejo, told local media that the mummified remains had been brought home by his father some 30 years ago. Bermejo told outlet El Comercio that "Juanita", as he calls the mummy, was like his "spiritual girlfriend", adding "at home, she's in my room, she sleeps with me. I take care of her."

According to the Ministry of Culture , the mummy is believed to be an adult male, likely from the same region of Peru.

"It's not a Juanita, it's a Juan," one specialist at the ministry said according to France24, adding that the male was over 45 years old.

The mummy, which was found in the fetal position inside a delivery cooler bag, has been taken by the ministry and deemed a national cultural asset. Bermejo denied trying to sell the remains, telling police that he had it in a cooler bag at the park because "my friends wanted to see it."

Bermejo is in police detention while they investigate the case.