Four held for excavating heritage site

Police register case against suspects

TAXILA:

Police arrested a gang involved in illegal excavation and theft of antiquities at an archeological site in Taxila.

A case under the provisions of Antiquities Act 2016 has been registered against the suspects at Kot Najeebullah Police Station.

Police said that four suspects were busy excavating an archaeological site within the limits of Kot Najeebullah Police Station during the night hours when a police informer spotted them and reported the incident. Acting immediately on the information, SHO Siddique Shah along with Regional Officer of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Archeology Department Nawazuddin and Site Supervisor Raja Adnan conducted an operation during which they were caught red-handed.

Three suspects were identified as Umar Farooq, Sardar Ali, Javed Khan, said the police, adding that they were digging out valuable artifacts from the protected area. They added that antiquities recovered during the excavation were found in the possession of the arrested accused, including a small ball-like toy made of clay, antique coins and an antique spoon. A metal detector machine used to search for antiquities has also been recovered from the possession of the suspects.

SHO Siddique Shah told The Express Tribune that a case has been registered under Section 18, 62, 67, 69 of the Antiquities Act 2016 on the complaint of the Department of Archaeology. He added that the police expect startling revelations from the accused during the course of the investigation.

On the other hand, Regional Officer for Archeology Department Nawazuddin speaking to The Express Tribune warned that people and groups involved in damage and theft from the archeological sites will be dealt with iron hands. The police have registered a case on the complaint of the department after which formal proceedings have started. He further said that archeological sites are the cultural heritage of Pakistan and the department of archeology remains as their guardian. “We are trying to preserve the remains of Gandhara despite limited resources,” he said, adding that there are 214 different archaeological sites in the Haripur district alone and ensuring the security of all these places is a very difficult task. However, the department is taking necessary steps to ensure foolproof security. After this incident, security has been increased on the said site, he said.

According to Director of Archeology Department Dr Abdul Samad, following the delegation of powers to the provinces, the department has started the restoration and repair work of all the archaeological sites of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As per the Antiquities Act 2016, any person who excavates an archaeological site or keeps the found antiquities may see legal action against him, he said.

“Such criminal groups have been involved in excavating and stealing from the archeological sites in Taxila, Khanpur and Haripur. The stolen antiquities are reportedly mostly smuggled abroad,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2022.