US returns antiquities to India in stolen art investigation
ABC News
U.S. authorities have returned about 250 antiquities to India in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme
NEW YORK -- U.S. authorities returned about 250 antiquities to India on Thursday in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme.
The items, worth an estimated $15 million, were handed over during a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York City. The centerpiece is a bronze Shiva Nataraja valued at $4 million, authorities said.
The ceremony stems from a sprawling probe by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Homeland Security Investigations arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The investigation has focused on tens of thousands of antiquities allegedly smuggled into the United States by dealer Subhash Kapoor, who has denied the allegations.
The case "serves as a potent reminder that individuals who maraud sacred temples in pursuit of individual profit are committing crimes not only against a country’s heritage but also its present and future,” District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement.
