Hahaha I can't stop laughing... i dont know the validity of the claim, but immediately i thought of the British Museum complaining about theft.
right next to it is an older exhibit about how the original curator took cuneiform rolls and made them into necklace beads for his wife and rings? for himself.
either someone at the BM has a very british sense of humor or it's a gigantic woosh. I laughed my ass off. People looked at me.
They do it even with the Chile Moais when they never where in any danger.
It's all lies.