TEHRAN- Iranian authorities have recently busted a smuggling gang that was illegally trading ancient relics online in northern Mazandaran province.

Ninety-five historical objects including earrings, bracelets, rings, and 300 bronze and pottery relics belong to different historical eras were seized from the smugglers, said Amir Rahmatollahi, a senior police official in charge of protecting cultural heritage, CHTN reported on Wednesday.

The culprits were detained and surrendered to the judicial system for further investigation, the official added.

He also noted that to identify the websites that illegally sell historical relics, the cyberspace is being monitored 24 hours a day.

In July, Iranian police blocked 86 websites which were illegally trading historical artifacts.

Back in June, Facebook banned the sale of historical artifacts, including Iranian carpets, on its platforms in an attempt to prevent priceless items looted or stolen from being sold online.

Published photos of stolen historical artifacts on Facebook and Instagram were one of the reasons which led to the decision.

Several reports confirmed that the looters were using the platform to identify and sell illegally excavated antiquities mostly from the countries in West Asia.

ABU/MG