Kathmandu, Jan. 31 -- The Nepali diaspora is getting increasingly involved in returning the country's stolen sacred objects from museums and collectors in the United States, supplementing the role of agencies of the two governments.

This month four stolen deities were returned to Nepal from the US. Among them were two Bhairav masks stolen in mid-90s from Dolakha, an Uma Maheswar from Patan, and a Durga idol uncovered during investigation into New York-based art trafficker Subhash Kapoor.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office officially handed over the sacred objects to Nepal's consulate in New York in December, but what set this repatriation apart from previous ones was the involvement of the Nepali community in the United States.

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