KABUL, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Police have taken into custody 10 people on charges of excavating historical sites to steal cultural artifacts in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, said a statement of the provincial police office on Thursday.
The arrested individuals, according to the statement, were excavating some shrines and historical sites on the outskirts of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah to find and steal relics on Wednesday night, but police identified and took them into custody.
Police would hand them over to the judiciary after completion of preliminary investigation, the statement said.
The statement also urged locals to inform police if anyone was seen to excavate historical sites and cultural monuments. ■