Homeland Security Investigations

Federal authorities say the statue dates to the ninth century and weighs more than 500 pounds.

Federal authorities say they found a priceless Buddhist statue at a home in Arizona, and agents packed the statue so it can be sent back to India.

Homeland Security Investigations says work on the case started in October 2019. Agents got a tip there was a potentially ancient statue at a home in Phoenix.

The owner was already suspicious of the 3-feet-tall, 500-pound sculpture that she’d inherited and told agents that it was likely bought more than a half century ago in the Middle East.

Nearly a year went by and authorities contacted a professor at Northern Arizona University to help identify the statue. The archaeologist who specializes in Asian art confirmed to investigators that it is of a Mahayana Buddhist goddess and dates back to the ninth century.   

Homeland Security Investigations

Homeland Security Investigations says the statue is going to a specialized gallery until it's sent back to India.