MANSEHRA, Jan 29: Police arrested two persons in Baffa area of the district for allegedly digging graves in search of abandoned treasures.

“We have arrested two persons, who were digging graveyard apparently in search of hidden treasures,” said an official at Baffa police station on Saturday.

He said that three accomplices of the arrested persons managed to escape. He said that locals saw a group of five treasure hunters digging the graveyard in the small hours of Friday and informed police.

Police arrested Mohammad Shabir and Malik Aman along with their tools while three others fled the scene.

Abdul Rasheed, a local, who informed police, said that they made announcements through loudspeakers from a nearby mosque when they saw the grave diggers. The villagers came out of their houses and besieged the area, he added.

He said that treasure hunting attempt was also made by the group last month. They had opened two graves at the centuries-old graveyard, he said.

Mr Rasheed said when locals reached the spot along with police the group had already dug a grave. He said that treasure hunters were also active in some other areas of Baffa.

He added that it was common perception that the treasure hunters were equipped with the latest machines, which indicated presence of gold and other precious metals under the ground.

Sources said that the group was also involved in smugglings of antiques, which were dug out from the ancient sites in Hazara division.

PROTEST: The residents staged a protest rally against Auqaf department for what they said trying to take possession of the precious land of five mosques unlawfully.

The protesters, holding banners and placards, marched on various roads of Mansehra. They also chanted slogans against Provincial Minister for Auqaf Nimroz Khan.

Addressing the protesters, Maulana Waqarul Haq Usman, Maulana Rafiqur Rehman Qamar and Maulana Mushtaq said that they would never allow the Auqaf department and its minister to illegally occupy the precious land of the mosques.

They said that an all parties' conference was summoned on February 3 to chalk out future line of action. They alleged that provincial minister was interested to lease the land to his brother.

Meanwhile, a delegation headed by Maulana Waqarul Haq Usman met Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan here on Saturday and apprised him of the issue.