A premium Land Rover Discovery Sport stolen from a British owner has been impounded by Russian police in deepest Siberia.

The black crossover was tracked down via Interpol, and the Russian authorities say it will be returned to its rightful owner.

The Land Rover was identified in Irkutsk, when a new ‘owner’ sought to register the vehicle, which in Britain costs between £43,445 to £57,920.

Traffic police suspected it had been illegally imported into Russia.

“Being vigilant, the police officers initiated an inspection of the vehicle,” said the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Irkutsk region, which is more than 5,000 miles from London.

“Employees of the regional Interpol unit confirmed that the car had been stolen from a British resident.

“The law enforcement authorities of the United Kingdom had initiated a criminal case on this fact, and the car itself was declared wanted through Interpol channels.”

The identification numbers of the car body and engine matched those of the stolen car, indicating it was exported by a gang involved in illegally trading vehicles.

“Interpol cooperation with the UK law enforcement agencies is currently being established,” said the police.

“The car has been placed under arrest with a view to its subsequent return to the legal owner.”

The Russians did not give details of the original number plate nor of the UK owner.

Irkutsk is five time zones east of Russian capital Moscow.