30/04/2026
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30/04/2026
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NEW DELHI, Apr 30: In one of the largest cultural repatriation efforts in recent years, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has returned 657 stolen antiquities to India following extensive international trafficking investigations. The announcement was made by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who highlighted the scale of global networks involved in looting cultural heritage.
The recovered artifacts were linked to trafficking operations involving disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener. The handover took place in New York in the presence of Indian Consulate officials, who praised cooperation between US and Indian authorities, including US Department of Homeland Security.
Among the returned items are several high-value and historically significant pieces, including a $2 million bronze statue of Avalokiteshvara, a sandstone sculpture of the Hindu deity Ganesha, and a rare red sandstone Buddha valued at $7.5 million. Many of these artifacts were stolen from temples or museums in India, smuggled abroad, and eventually surfaced in private collections or auction houses.
Officials said the seizures were part of long-running investigations led by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, which has recovered more than 6,200 cultural objects worth over $485 million and returned thousands to countries worldwide. Authorities noted that efforts are ongoing, with several suspects convicted and others, including Kapoor—who was convicted in India—still facing extradition proceedings.
