KATHMANDU, Dec 13: In the first week of December, the U.S. government helped repatriate four ancient statues stolen from Nepal and smuggled to the US by traffickers. The statues, including two Bhairabh masks and stone idols of Shiva Parvati (Uma Maheshwar) and Durga dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, were officially handed over to the Government of Nepal on December 5.
KATHMANDU, June 24: In a significant victory for cultural preservation, Nepal has successfully reclaimed 96 precious archaeological artifacts that were smuggled out of the country illegally. In most of the cases, the artifacts were stolen by foreigners in collusion with local intermediaries and dispatched to various countries using diplomatic bags by concealing them with exported goods.