The seven priceless Buddhist golden statues that were stolen from the Erdene-Zuu museum in Kharkhorin, Uvurkhangai aimag, were returned by the General Police Agency after only one week. As result of the immediate investigation after the theft of the priceless cultural heritage the police were able to arrest three suspects.

The three are now accused for planning and carrying out the crime to steal the seven Buddhist goddess statues that are estimated to be worth more than 100 million MNT.  A source says that the three suspects had been waiting for the right time to steal the exhibits near the museum for days ahead of the incident. But local residents were suspicious about the three strangers who arrived in the area in a vehicle without a license plate number and informed the local police about their presence. Police could identify the suspects` vehicle and intents because of the local residents actions.

Police clocked the time of entry of the suspects` vehicle into Ulaanbaatar City on May 19th.

A search of the suspects` home in Songinokhairkhan district in Ulaanbaatar city found the stolen items, and the statues were then delivered to the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts on Monday in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism. The three suspects were arrested and taken to detention center 461 of the Court Decision Enforcement Office. The Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Ts.Oyungerel expressed her appreciation to the police for retrieving the unique cultural heritages before they were smuggled and lost, and she pledged to pay attention to the protection and safety of the cultural items in the museum.