According to an Archaeology Department survey report, at least 5,000 archaeological sites in Rajshahi Division have lost their glory and original structures due to a lack of proper supervision and negligence of the government.

A senior police officer in Bogra said a group of raiders has been stealing terracotta plaques, statues, ancient coins and antiques--as old as more than 1,200 years--from different monuments and temples at the protected and unprotected archaeological sites.

These sites include Paharpur in Naogaon, Annik Temple at Putia in Rajshahi, Mahasthangarh and Jogirbhaban in Bogra.

The deputy commissioners concerned and the law enforcement agencies were informed about the treasure hunting groups.

A senior official of the Archaeology Department told The Daily Star that these stolen terracotta and other antique objects are openly sold at a market in the capital's Gulshan-2. He said the tags on these antiques even bear the historic sites' names they were collected from.

The existing Antiquities Act of 1968, however, strictly Archeological prohibits collecting and selling any antique including terracotta objects. It prohibits collecting even the soil from an archaeological site.

The matter was reported to the higher authority but no initiative has yet been taken against the illegal business, the senior official added.

Some terracotta objects were lost from the Annik Temple at Putia a few months ago although the security guards were patrolling on the temple premises. The thieves were reported to have been using cell phones for informing the guards' movements, said the Archaeology Department regional director.

The probe committee formed after the theft is, however, yet to start investigation, said an official of the department.

Some miscreant groups are even engaged in digging different archaeological sites hoping to find antiques for their illegal business.

Meanwhile, Sirajganj police acting on a tip-off recovered a Vishnu statue in Bhangura upazila of Pabna district as it was going to be smuggled abroad. The Archaeology Department officials said the statue has not yet been handed over to it.

In another incident, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) recently recovered some old coins from Gokul area in Bogra.

Rajshahi police are yet to recover a statue stolen from an old temple in Taherpur in the district a few years ago.

Hundreds of archaeological sites, including the palace of Balihar king in Naogaon and the palace of Dinnath Roy in Dinajpur, are facing ruination due to a lack of proper maintenance, said an Archaeology Department official.