RAWALPINDI: Customs staff at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Tuesday seized eight pieces of antique statues, including one from the Gandhara art, and arrested a German national of Pakistan origin.

Naveedur Rehman, the deputy collector customs, told Dawn that the seizure was made when the check-in for the Istanbul-bound Turkish Airways flight TK-711 was underway.

He identified the passenger as Zafar Ali Khan, a resident of Johar Town, Lahore. The statues were spotted after the luggage of the passenger was put on the scanning machine by ASF.

The customs staff found eight pieces of antique statues concealed in a suitcase.

The passenger was taken into custody and the items were sent to the department of archaeology and museums.

According to the deputy collector customs, the archaeology department confirmed that one of the eight pieces was the Buddha statue of Gandhara art having a minimum value of Rs800,000.

The passenger told the customs officials that he had purchased the statues in Taxila and was taking them to Germany as gifts.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2015

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