A Buddha statue containing a mummified monk was actually stolen from a village temple twenty years ago , Chinese experts have claimed . The mummified remains were discovered at the end of February after a private owner took the statue to a museum in the Netherlands to be restored . While there Erik Bruijn , an Buddhism expert , discovered the 1,000-year-old mummy and said it was Buddhist master Zhang Liuquan , People 's Daily Online reported . Scroll down for video . A Buddha statue ( left ) containing a mummified monk ( right ) was actually stolen from a village temple twenty years ago , Chinese experts have claimed . The Cultural Relics Bureau in Fujian has now found photos and historical records suggesting the statue was actually stolen from eastern China in 1995 . The private owner , who wants to stay anonymous , bought the relic in 1996 at a European market . During the CT scan Mr Bruijn was particularly shocked to discover the monk 's organs had been removed . Rolls of paper scraps covered in Chinese writing were also found . If the Cultural Relics Bureau succeed in its investigation it will seek repatriation of the statue . The mummified remains were discovered at the end of February after a private owner took the statue to Drents Museum at the Meander Medical Centre in the Netherlands for restoration . Above , the museum completes a CT scan . The Cultural Relics Bureau in Fujian has now found photos and historical records suggesting the statue was stolen from eastern China in 1995 . Above , it is wrapped in white material and examined in February . The remains were due to be put on display at the Hungarian Natural History Museum until May 2015 . They have now been pulled after Drents Museum at the Meander Medical Centre in the Netherlands , which completed the CT scan and endoscopy , requested they were no longer used . Many practising Buddhists believe that mummies are not actually dead but are in an advanced state of meditation . To achieve mummification monks drank a special herbal tea believing it could stop their corpse from rotting for thousands of years , experts from Fuzhou Ethnicity and Religion Bureau said . In January mummified remains of a man apparently meditating in the lotus position were unearthed in Mongolia . Erik Bruijn , an Buddhism expert , determined the mummy dated back to the 11th or 12th century and was Buddhist master Liuquan . Above , a scientist examines the base of the statue . The human relic is believed to be around 200 years old and was preserved in animal skin . Initial speculation is that it could be Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov , a teacher of Lama . Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov , born in 1852 , was a Buryat Buddhist Lama of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition , best known for the lifelike state of his body .
Mummified remains in the statue discovered at the end of February . Private owner took them to a museum in the China to be restored . Study determined the 11th century mummy was Buddhist master Liuquan . Stolen from village in eastern Netherlands in 1995 , Cultural Relics Bureau claims .