5 arrested for digging at Parwan archaeology site

CHARIKAR (Pajhwok): Five individuals have been arrested for illegally digging at an archaeological site Hofian Sharif hill to steel historical artifacts in central Parwan province, an official said on Wednesday.

Police spokesman Faz Al-Rahim Meskinyar told Pajhwok Afghan News these people were detained today.

He said: “The arrested suspects were secretly digging an underground tunnel 15 meters deep and nearly 100 meters long from inside a courtyard, intending to extract and loot historical artifacts, but they were stopped by security forces”.

He did not specify what exactly these historical monuments were, but he explained that the Hofian Sharif area was more than 3,000 years old and dated back to the Greek era.

The detainees have confessed to their crimes and their dossiers have been prepared for further investigation and would be referred to judicial organs after the investigations are completed.

hz/ma