US authorities return 1,440 smuggled antiquities to India in major repatriation effort

US authorities return antiquities valued at $10m to India

In a significant step towards restoring India’s cultural heritage, US authorities have returned 1,440 smuggled antiquities, including sacred temple sculptures, to India. The items, valued at $10 million, were handed over at a ceremony held at the Consulate General of India in Manhattan on Thursday.

The repatriation was overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Group Supervisor Alexandra de Armas.

The antiquities were seized after a multi-year investigation into international trafficking networks, particularly those linked to notorious antiquities traffickers Subash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener. Kapoor, who is currently in prison in India for his involvement in the illicit trade, is believed to be one of the most prolific antiquities smugglers in history.

Wiener, who operated a gallery in New York, was convicted in the United States for trafficking stolen artifacts.

Speaking at the ceremony, Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg emphasized the continued commitment of his office to investigating and dismantling networks that exploit Indian cultural heritage. “We will continue to investigate the many trafficking networks that have targeted Indian cultural heritage,” Bragg said, highlighting the ongoing work of his Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) in recovering stolen pieces.

Among the returned artifacts was a sacred temple sculpture depicting a Celestial Dancer, which was looted from a temple in Madhya Pradesh in the 1980s. The piece was cut into two pieces to facilitate its smuggling and was eventually sold to a collector in New York through a network of traffickers. It was later donated to the prestigious New York Metropolitan Museum (Met) before being seized by the ATU in 2023.

Another notable item in the repatriation was the “Tanesar Mother Goddess” sculpture, stolen from Rajasthan in the 1960s and smuggled to the US. After passing through multiple private collectors, the sculpture ended up at Wiener’s gallery, before being acquired by the Met in 1993. The ATU recovered it in 2022.

These antiquities are part of an ongoing effort by US authorities to return stolen Indian artifacts. In recent years, the US has made significant strides in repatriating looted cultural treasures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Washington, thanked US President Joe Biden for the return of such items, underscoring the emotional significance of the repatriation. “For us, these are not just art but part of our heritage, culture, and religion. So when this lost heritage returns home, they will be received with a lot of emotion,” Modi had said.

The handover of 1,440 pieces comes just one year after Bragg’s office returned 307 items valued at approximately $4 million in 2022. The return of these antiquities represents the latest phase in a long-running effort to track down and repatriate pieces stolen from India, many of which had ended up in prominent museums and private collections around the world.

Subash Kapoor, who ran an art gallery in New York, was arrested in Germany in 2011 during an operation known as “Operation Hidden Idol” and was subsequently extradited to India. In 2022, Kapoor was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, for his role in the theft of religious statues from temples.

William S. Walker, the HSI New York Special Agent in Charge, hailed the repatriation as a “victory in what has been a multi-year, international investigation into antiquities trafficked by one of history’s most prolific offenders.” The return of these artifacts serves as a powerful reminder of the international commitment to combatting the illegal trade in cultural treasures and returning stolen heritage to its rightful owners.

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