KABUL, Oct 4: Antiques dating back 1,300 years have been stolen from a museum in western Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday, blaming a ‘powerful gang’ for the theft after a suspect was found dead.

The national museum in Herat, the second largest city in Afghanistan, was raided last week, deputy culture minister Mohammad Zia Afshar told a news conference in Kabul.

The authorities said two suspects had been taken into custody for interrogation and one of them had died in prison under unclear circumstances.

“We’re investigating whether he was killed. If we find out that he was murdered in prison this will confirm our suspicions that that we are dealing with a very dangerous gang,” Najibullah Manali, another ministry official, told the same news conference.

He said police were hunting 22 missing artefacts, including clay, metal and stone-made items, some from pre-Islamic Buddhist-era Afghanistan, which dates back about 13 centuries.

Antiques from the 11th century Ghaznavides and 15th century Timurid empire era were also missing, Manali said.Afghanistan has lost scores of priceless archaeological artefacts through thefts from museums during decades of conflict. Most of the items are alleged to have been smuggled to Pakistan before reaching private collectors in rich Gulf or western countries.

The Kabul-based National Museum, which is said to be one of the richest in the region, was levelled during the 1992-96 civil war.

The country suffered its biggest cultural loss after the Taliban, who ruled between 1996 and 2001, destroyed the giant Buddha statues in central Bamiyan.—AFP