The United States has returned more than 1,400 looted artifacts, valued at approximately $10 million, to India, marking a significant step in an ongoing effort to repatriate stolen cultural property from South and Southeast Asia. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced the repatriation on Wednesday, underscoring the success of its continued investigations into art trafficking networks.
Among the items returned were several that had previously been displayed at the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. One such artifact is a sandstone sculpture of a celestial dancer that was illicitly taken from central India, smuggled to London, and eventually sold to a Met patron. This patron later donated the piece to the museum, unaware of its questionable origins.
The repatriation efforts are part of an extensive investigation into art trafficking rings, including those connected to convicted traffickers like Nancy Wiener and Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor, an American antiquities dealer, was sentenced to ten years in prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar looting network through his gallery in New York. According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, these investigations have led to significant recoveries.
Kapoor’s criminal activities were exposed after he was apprehended in Germany in 2011, prompting the issuance of an arrest warrant by the U.S. in 2012. Although he remains in custody in India, he faces pending extradition to the U.S. to answer for his crimes.
“Today’s repatriation marks another victory in what has been a multiyear international investigation into antiquities trafficked by one of history’s most prolific offenders,” said William Walker, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York. His statement highlighted the importance of the ongoing work in returning stolen cultural heritage.
The items were officially handed over during a ceremony held at the Indian consulate in New York on Wednesday. This event represents a notable success in the larger initiative to combat art trafficking.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, established over a decade ago, has played a crucial role in these efforts. Comprising a team of lawyers, investigators, and art experts, the unit has successfully recovered 5,800 antiquities, collectively valued at nearly $460 million. Additionally, the unit has convicted 16 individuals involved in trafficking offenses and pursued extradition for six others linked to stolen cultural property.
The significance of these repatriations has been further emphasized by a recent agreement between the U.S. and India. Signed in July, the deal aims to strengthen the protection of cultural property, curb illegal trade, and streamline the repatriation of stolen antiquities. This agreement demonstrates both nations’ commitment to preserving cultural heritage and combatting art trafficking.
The return of these artifacts is a part of a broader global movement to address the growing problem of illicit cultural property trafficking. Through collaboration between law enforcement agencies, museums, and cultural institutions, efforts like these are helping to reverse the effects of art theft, returning valuable pieces of history to their rightful homes.
