ABBOTTABAD, July 21: The beheaded body, of a renowned collector of antiques Riaz Afridi alias Qallo who was missing for the last 15 days, was found on Karala Bagh Road in Galyat on Saturday.

The police are investigating the circumstances leading to his disappearance and the possible motive behind his murder.

Afridi, who also dealt in precious stones, according to reliable sources, had a unique collection of precious stones, worth millions of rupees.

He was liked by tourists, and regularly appeared in the national and international media. Travelogue writer Mustansar Hussain Tarar, and some others, had also narrated Riaz’s stories in their books.

Afridi’s collection included 200 different antiques, around 200 snakes and scorpions, a unique stick resembling a snake, original manuscripts belonging to Major Abbott (after whom Abbottabad was named), a centuries-old hand-written copy the Holy Quran, and countless articles from the Ghandhara period.

Other articles included a precious-stone-studded jacket, which is said to be worth Rs1 million, and 500-year-old skin belonging to the Ashoka period.

Afridi had also sent a video of his collections to Guinness Book of World Records.