Tokat is famous for its cultural heritage and historical significance. This Turkish city is always full of tourists and historians. However, the beautiful region also attracts some anti-social group that keeps on stealing its beauty away. This is the reason why the police always stay vigilant. One case emerged when police nabbed three culprits transporting a precious object. Before the incident, nobody even knew the thing actually existed. The discovery by the authorities created a ripple amongst the historians.

Tokat

Tokat is situated in the northern-central area of Turkey. The city is 250 miles away from Ankara, capital of the country. The city holds cultural and historical value thanks to the past lives of the region of Anatolia.   

Great Significance

No need to say, Tokat has many ancient sites and historical monuments that are of great significance. One of them is Garipler mosque from 12th-century. Many of these landmarks come from eras of Ilkhanate, Seljuq, and Ottoman. Interestingly, these ancient buildings that trace its origin back to the tenth century are today’s popular destination. The city boasts a population of more than 130,000.  

Not Everything Rosy

Every coin has its two sides. Though the city enjoys the status of being one of the few places attracting tourism for its cultural and historical affluence, the area has also attracted some section of society that is keen on stripping it off of all its cultural values.  

Attracting

For the same reasons, Tokat has emerged as a hub for smugglers all around the world. These criminals happened to be very dangerous as they usually have connections with anti-social groups. 

Efforts

There have been many raids conducted by police to curb the smugglers in the past many years. but clearly, the efforts made by police are not enough as there has been a steep rise in the cases. And this story narrates one of those peculiar cases.

An Old Painting

In 2015, the anti-smuggling police went on to find an old painting. The painting was oil made. No need to say, the piece of art was very valuable and held a place of importance in the world of art and culture. Luckily, the police managed to nab the culprits on time.