Turkish security forces in the eastern province Muş arrested three people trying to sell an ancient Torah for $1.25 million.

After receiving a tipoff, gendarmerie personnel went undercover as a buyer and caught the perpetrators.

During the raid of the houses and cars of the suspects, 25 antique coins, a ring, a metal detector and a clay vase were seized, a statement from the gendarmerie said.

In recent years the seizures of ancient books in Hebrew and Torahs being sold illegally have been commonplace.

Thousands of anti-smuggling operations are carried out across Turkey every year to halt the illegal sale of historical objects and protect the country's rich cultural heritage. The issue is crucial to a country that is home to about 3,000 ancient cities from 42 civilizations and whose tourism industry relies on its rich historical heritage to attract millions of foreign visitors each year.

The Turkish government has also issued a list of artifacts, believed to be stolen from Syria, and warned customs agents, collectors and others against purchasing them.