Buddha Statue Worth $1.5 Million Disappears in Gallery Heist

An ancient statue of a Buddha worth $1.5 million was stolen from a Los Angeles art gallery last week — and the heist was caught on camera. 

An unidentified thief stole the artifact last Monday from L.A.'s Barakat Gallery, according to local news reports. Surveillance footage from inside the gallery shows the thief pulling up outside in a moving truck at around 3:20 in the morning that day. Then the driver breaks open the gate and enters the building. 

“This gentleman came and, I think, strapped a rope or a chain around that piece and pulled it to his rental van and put it in the back,” gallery owner Fayez Barakat told local TV station KTLA.

In another shot captured on camera, the thief can be seen scurrying back toward his truck, appearing to carry the statue in front of him before driving off.

The bronze sculpture weighs 250 pounds and dates back to Japan’s Edo period. 

“I prize it so much,” Barakat. “I had it in the backyard of my home and when I moved into this gallery, I put it in the backyard of the gallery for everybody to admire and enjoy.”

Barakat has had the piece in his collection for more than 55 years. 

“We have 200 objects back there, but this is our prize piece,” gallery director Paul Henderson told KTLA. “I don’t think there’s another like it on the market anywhere. It’s 4 feet tall, it’s hollow cast bronze and it’s a stunning piece. It’s really aesthetically arresting and it’s shocking to see something like this go missing.”

Barakat said it seemed like the thief had been after the Buddha specifically, as there were other precious items that could have easily been stolen but weren’t. 

“I hope that the person who stole it is not stealing it for the weight of bronze because it’s a historical item,” Barakat said. “I’m heartbroken. Whoever stole it, maybe that person understood the value. Probably they commissioned somebody, a thief of some kind, to just go ahead and steal it.”

The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately return The Messenger’s request for more information. But police told KTLA that an arrest has not yet been made and an investigation continues. 

KCAL reported that gallery officials learned the statue was missing when they showed up to work that Monday. They called police around 10:30 a.m. to report the theft.