Photo: Express
Rawalpindi: Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle thousands of years old antiquities from Quetta to Islamabad.
According to the Customs officials, the bus coming from Quetta to Islamabad through the highway was stopped at Chongi No. 26, after searching, antiquities were recovered from the bus.
The antiques belonged to a passenger named Abdul Salam, but he could not produce his ownership documents, on which the bus and the antiques were moved to a warehouse and Abdul Salam was detained.
According to officials, the artefacts include pottery and copper digging tools, which experts say date back to 2600 to 3500 BC.
According to Customs, the Archeology Department has declared the antiquities as genuine and their insurance value has been given as five lakh rupees.
According to Customs, the accused has been arrested and a case has been registered under Antiquities Smuggling Act and raids are being conducted to arrest his other accomplices.
Officials say that the possibility of smuggling antiquities of 3500 BC from Balochistan to Afghanistan is also being investigated.
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