The New York office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said today that an anonymous collector voluntarily surrendered the idol.
It says the 2 1/2-foot idol was looted from a temple in Tamil Nadu at the southern tip of India. It will be returned to India.
Customs agents say the collector bought the object in 2006 and was given false provenance papers.
ICE says the bronze statue would sell for as much as USD 1 million if legitimately offered on the market.
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