Turkish law enforcement seized 78 illegally-obtained historical artifacts in Istanbul, the Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a security source
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2020) Turkish law enforcement seized 78 illegally-obtained historical artifacts in Istanbul, the Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a security source.
The operation was conducted in Istanbul's central Sisli district, located in the European part of the city, and the police acted on a tip-off, the source said
The law enforcement officers have arrested one suspect and uncovered Ottoman, Seljuk and Safavid-era artifacts in an art house.
Istanbul police regularly seize illegally-obtained artifacts. In particular, the police seized 3,700 historical artifacts, including more than 2,000-year-old objects, in 11 citywide operations between January and February.
Turkish law enforcement officers have seized historical artifacts in other parts of the country as well. The last of such operations outside Istanbul includes uncovering 32 Byzantium-era artifacts in the central Kirsehir province in October and 29 Roman and Hellenic-era artifacts in another central province of Yozgat two months later.
