NY Returns $14 Million In Stolen Treasures To India

Photo: Manhattan DA

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY- In a landmark victory for cultural heritage preservation, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has repatriated a massive cache of 657 antiquities to India. Valued at approximately $14 million, the returned artifacts represent the culmination of multiple high-profile investigations into international trafficking syndicates.

The handover took place during a formal ceremony at the Consulate General of India in New York. While the event coincided with a period of heightened diplomatic activity, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office clarified that the restitution had been choreographed months in advance and was independent of any concurrent royal visits.

The bulk of the collection is linked to the dismantled network of Subhash Kapoor, a notorious art dealer currently facing smuggling indictments. Among the most significant pieces recovered is a magnificent red sandstone Buddha. Looted from Northern India and trafficked into the United States by Kapoor, the deity is depicted in a standing posture with a raised right hand signifying divine protection.

The restitution also features a delicate bronze sculpture of the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara. Seated upon an inscribed double-lotus base and a throne flanked by lions, the piece was stolen and funneled into the American market as early as 1982, eventually surfacing in a private Manhattan collection in 2014. Additionally, authorities returned a sandstone carving of a dancing Ganesha, which had been spirited out of India by Ranjeet “Shantoo” Kanwar, an alleged co-conspirator in the trafficking ring.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. emphasized the staggering magnitude of the illicit trade in a statement read at the consulate. He noted that the return of over 600 pieces serves as a sobering reminder of the expansive networks that have systematically targeted Indian heritage.