Tony Abbott will today return a 900-year-old Indian statue that was stolen before being sold to the National Gallery of Australia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accept the $5.6 million Dancing Shiva in New Delhi today after the bronze statue was stolen from a crumbling temple seven years ago.

• Dancing Shiva: National Gallery of Australia to return allegedly stolen statue to India

According to a report by The Australian, New York art dealer, Indian-born Subhash Kapoor, is alleged to have masterminded a $100 million antiquity-smuggling ring, selling an estimated $20 million of stolen art over four decades.

Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia bought Dancing Shiva in 2008 before taking it off display after the Indian government asked for it to be returned.