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 Netherlands to be restored . Study determined the 11th century mummy was Buddhist master Liuquan . Stolen from village in eastern China in 1995, Cultural Relics Bureau claims .