India reclaims priceless heritage as US returns 657 antiquities
The United States has returned 657 stolen antiquities worth nearly $14 million to India, following multiple investigations into global art trafficking networks. The artefacts were repatriated in Three Phases—612 items in November 2024, 26 in July 2025, and the final batch of 19 returned on April 28, 2026. Many of these pieces were linked to notorious antiquities traffickers, including Subash Chandra Kapoor and Nancy Wiener.
Subhash Chandra Kapoor was caught for smuggling many idols from South Indian States and was running an art gallery (Art of the Past) in New York. He was convicted to 10 years in prison by the Kumabkonam court in Tamil Nadu in 2022.[1]
The formal handover took place in New York in the presence of India’s Consul General. Authorities said the recovery was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle international smuggling networks dealing in stolen cultural property. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg highlighted the scale of the trafficking operations, noting that hundreds of artefacts looted from India had been traced and recovered over the years.
Among the returned items are several historically significant sculptures. These include a rare bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara from Chhattisgarh, a red sandstone statue of Buddha in ‘abhaya mudra’, and a sandstone sculpture of a dancing Ganesha that was stolen from a temple in Madhya Pradesh.
Experts say many of these artefacts were smuggled out of India decades ago and eventually ended up in private collections and galleries in the United States. Some were sold through international auction houses using forged ownership records. Cultural activists, including members of India Pride, have welcomed the development, calling it the result of years of coordinated efforts between Indian authorities and international agencies such as Homeland Security Investigations.
However, officials noted that over 1,000 stolen artefacts are still yet to be traced and returned, underscoring the continued challenge of combating illicit trafficking in cultural property. The latest repatriation marks one of the largest returns of Indian antiquities and reinforces global cooperation in preserving cultural heritage.
Reference:
[1] Tamil Nadu temples Idol smuggler & New York-based art gallery owner Subhash Chandra Kapoor convicted for 10 years – Nov 02, 2022, PGurus.com
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