A 12th century bronze Buddha statue stolen from a museum at Nalanda in Bihar nearly 60 years ago was returned to India today by the London's Metropolitan Police as part of a ceremony to mark India's Independence Day.

The bronze statue with silver inlay is one of the 14 statues stolen in 1961 from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) site museum in Nalanda and changed several hands over the years before surfacing at a London auction.

The statue was identified at a trade fair in March this year by Lynda Albertson of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA) and Vijay Kumar from the India Pride Project, who then ed the police.

Scotland Yard returned the statue stolen to the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Y K Sinha, as part of a ceremony to mark Independence Day at India House in London today.

(Featured Image – Deccan Chronicle)