London Police return 12th century Buddha statue, stolen 57 years ago, to India
The Buddha, a bronze statue with silver inlay, is one of 14 statues stolen in 1961 from the Archaeological Survey of India site museum in Nalanda.
The London Metropolitan Police returned a 12th century Buddha statue stolen from India 57 years ago on Wednesday, India’s Independence Day.
The statue was returned to Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom YK Sinha at the Indian House in London during an event to mark Independence Day. “The Buddha, a bronze statue with silver inlay, is one of 14 statues stolen in 1961 from the Archaeological Survey of India site museum in Nalanda in the eastern part of India,” the London Metropolitan Police, commonly known as the Scotland Yard, said. “The statue changed hands several times before eventually being delivered to a London dealer for sale.”
A 12th century Buddha statue stolen from India 57 years ago is to be returned to the Indian High Commissioner by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The statue with silver inlay, is one of 14 statues stolen in 1961. https://t.co/jLwUU3x6z7 pic.twitter.com/emRNTzGKi9
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 14, 2018
The Scotland Yard further said that the statue was identified at a trade fair in March 2018 by Lynda Albertson of Association for Research into Crimes Against Art and Vijay Kumar from the India Pride Project, who then alerted police. “Once the dealer and the owner were made aware the Buddha was the same one that had been stolen from India, they co-operated fully with the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit and agreed for the piece to be returned to India,” Scotland Yard added.
High Commissioner Sinha said the return of the “priceless Buddha” is a wonderful gesture. “I hope it will now go back to where it originally belongs,” he said, according to PTI. “On our Independence Day, it [the statue’s return] highlights the multi-faceted cooperation between our two countries.”