12th century stolen Buddha statue returned after 57 years

London police has returned a 12th century statue of Buddha to India after recovering it 57 years after it was stolen. Police handed over the bronze statue with silver inlay during a ceremony on Wednesday in London marking India's Independence Day. The Buddha was one of 14 statues stolen from a museum in Nalanda, eastern India, in 1961. Detective Constable Sophie Hayes said that the case is “a true example of cooperation between law enforcement, the trade and scholars.” Police were called after representatives from the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art and the India Pride Project noticed the statue at a trade fair. The dealer and the owner cooperated fully and, upon learning the item had been stolen, agreed to return it.