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| US returns missing sculptures to India | US returns missing sculptures to India |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The US has returned to India three ancient sculptures that had been smuggled into the US by art dealers and accomplices. | The US has returned to India three ancient sculptures that had been smuggled into the US by art dealers and accomplices. |
| The move followed a month of tense ties after a row over an Indian diplomat who was arrested in the US. | The move followed a month of tense ties after a row over an Indian diplomat who was arrested in the US. |
| The row erupted after the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested in New York on charges of visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper. | The row erupted after the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested in New York on charges of visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper. |
| She is now back in India after an apparent agreement with Washington. | She is now back in India after an apparent agreement with Washington. |
| India's consul general in New York, Dnyaneshwar Mulay, refused to acknowledge any link between the row over the diplomat and the return of the antiquities, but expressed gratitude to US. | |
| "I'd really like to express very heartfelt gratitude to US authorities for having invested so much time, energy and resources in obtaining, securing and now helping us repatriate these [idols] to the place where they belong," Mr Mulay was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper. | |
| James Dinkins, executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations, said "excellent cooperation" between the two countries had "led to the recovery and return of these priceless antiquities". | James Dinkins, executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations, said "excellent cooperation" between the two countries had "led to the recovery and return of these priceless antiquities". |
| "The pilfering of a nation's cultural patrimony cannot and will not be tolerated," he said. | "The pilfering of a nation's cultural patrimony cannot and will not be tolerated," he said. |
| The 11th-12th Century sandstone sculptures had been stolen from temples in India and offered for sale in the US by art dealers and their accomplices, media reports say. | |
| The handover comes days after India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid played down the row with Washington, saying there was "no stand-off" with the US. | The handover comes days after India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid played down the row with Washington, saying there was "no stand-off" with the US. |