Stolen Indian Buddha icon is going home

♦ A Buddha statue stolen from India 50 years ago will be repatriated after police found it for sale in the UK.

The 12th-century bronze sculpture was one of 14 taken from the Nalanda Archaeological Museum in eastern India in 1961. It is believed the artefact changed hands several times over the years, before being sent to a London antiques dealer for sale.

The statue was identified at a trade fair in March. The icon was returned yesterday at the High Commission of India in London on the nation’s Independence Day.

Police said the statue’s owner and dealer were unaware of its past