United States returns 27 stolen antiquities to Cambodia

Antiquities to be repatriated to Cambodia are seen during a news conference at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, in New York, U.S., June 9, 2021. Manhattan District Attorney's Office/Handout via REUTERS

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The United States has repatriated 27 antiquities to Cambodia, including Hindu and Buddhist statues, after years of work by New York investigators to recover the smuggled artefacts.

Valued at about $3.8 million, the items included several Hindu and Angkorian Buddhist statues, such as a bronze meditating Buddha on a Naga, a statue of Shiva, and a Buddhist sandstone sculpture of Prajnaparamita.