According to official reports, the FBI has returned two recovered historic paintings to Peru after determining they were illegally brought into the United States for sale.

The FBI announced in a statement on Wednesday that the two 18th-century paintings were presented to Ambassador Luis Miguel Valdivieso at the Peruvian embassy in Washington.

It was further reported that the paintings are religious in nature and designed to inspire devotion and are typically hung in monasteries, churches and convents. They were brought into the United States in 2005 and consigned to a gallery for sale.

The Bureau said that the gallery owner suspected the paintings had been stolen because they were cut from their frames, and when legal documentation could not be produced, he called the FBI.

The paintings, from Peru's Colonial period, were presented by FBI Assistant Director Kevin Perkins to Ambassador Valdivieso.

Perkins said, "We are pleased to be able to return these paintings to the government of Peru. Unfortunately, Peru suffers from depredations caused by thieves and looters and these stolen and looted objects regularly are brought into the U. S. for sale or display. This deprives the Peruvian people of their religious and cultural heritage."

There were no clues about the information on how or when the paintings were originally stolen. (With Inputs from Agencies)