New Delhi, Aug 15 (NIE): Stolen in 1961, a 12th-century bronze statue of Buddha was returned to India on Wednesday to commemorate its 72nd Independence Day by the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at India House in London.

The statue returned by the Scotland Yard, is supposedly one of the 14 statues which were stolen 57 years back from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) museum in Nalanda.

“I am delighted to return this piece of history. This is an excellent example of the results that can come with close cooperation between law enforcement, trade and scholars,” said Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Sheila Stewart, at the handover ceremony, PTI reported.

The statue received by the Indian High Commissioner of UK YK Sinha was identified at a trade fair in March by Lynda Albertson of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA) and Vijay Kumar from the India Pride Project, who then alerted the police.

The statue has been dealt with many hands over the years. Once the dealer and the owner were made aware the sculpture was the same one that had been stolen from India, the Metropolitan Police said they cooperated with the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit and agreed for the piece to be returned to India.

Detective Constable Sophie Hayes of the Met’s Art and Antique Unit said no criminality by the current owner or the dealer who had been offering the stolen statue for sale.

Sinha described the homecoming of the statue as a “wonderful gesture” and highlighted the “multi-faceted cooperation” between two countries. “I hope it will now go back to where it originally belongs,” said Sinha.

Michael Ellis, UK Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, said, “This underlines how law enforcement and the London art market are working hand-in-hand to deliver positive cultural diplomacy to the world.”