TEHRAN -- A column capital stolen from Persepolis has recently been returned to the ancient seat of the Persian Empire, the Persian service of CHN reported Tuesday.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps seized the capital from armed smugglers in Kerman a few days before Iranian New Year (March 21, 2006).

The capital was kept at the Harandi Garden in Kerman after it was seized, Kerman Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department (KCHTD) official Hossein Rashidzadeh said.

The smugglers had planned to transfer the capital to a foreign country, he added.

The KCHTD has filled a lawsuit against the smugglers in a Shiraz court, and they will soon be put on trial.

Neither the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization nor officials responsible for the Persepolis site had previously announced the robbery.

This was the first report about the case.