Authorities in New York return more than 650 looted antiquities, valued at nearly $14m, to India

The Manhattan District Attorney returned 657 antiquities valued at nearly $14m to Indian authorities. The objects were recovered through ongoing investigations into criminal trafficking networks and were handed over at a ceremony at India’s consulate in New York City. Some items were linked to smuggling networks of convicted traffickers Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener. A bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara valued at $2m was discovered near the Lakshamana Temple in 1939, entered a museum collection by 1952, was stolen, smuggled into the United States by 1982, and seized from a private New York collection in 2025. A red sandstone Buddha valued at $7.5m was smuggled to New York by Kapoor and seized from his storage unit. A sandstone dancing Ganesha looted in 2000 was moved through multiple owners, sold to Doris Wiener, given a false provenance by Nancy Wiener, consigned to Christie’s, bought at a 2012 New York auction, and later surrendered to the DA’s office.

"The office of Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg announced late last month that it had returned 657 antiquities, collectively valued at nearly $14m, to Indian authorities. The pieces were recovered through several ongoing investigations into criminal trafficking networks and handed over at a ceremony at India's consulate in New York City. Some of the objects recovered were linked to the smuggling networks of the convicted traffickers Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener."

"Among the returned pieces is a bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, valued at $2m. The figure was part of a large group of bronzes discovered near the Lakshamana Temple in 1939 and had entered the Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum's collection in Raipur by 1952. However, it was subsequently stolen and, by 1982, had been smuggled into the United States. It was located and seized from a private New York collection in 2025."

"Also being repatriated to India is a red sandstone Buddha, its feet broken off below the knees, which is valued at $7.5m. It had been smuggled to New York by Kapoor and was retrieved from one of his storage units by the Manhattan DA's Antiquities Trafficking Unit. Additionally, a sandstone dancing Ganesha, looted from a temple in Madhya Pradesh in 2000 by one of Kapoor's indicted co-conspirators, was relocated after passing through several hands."

""The scale of the trafficking networks that targeted cultural heritage in India is massive, as demonstrated by the return of more than 600 pieces today," Bragg said in a statement. Kapoor and seven co-defendants were indicted in November 2019 for conspiring to traffic stolen antiquities from"

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