3 May, 2026 | 9:53 PM
US returns 650 antiques worth $14mn to India
01-05-2026 12:00:00 AM
New York: The US has returned 657 antiquities, valued at $14 million, to India. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the return, marking a major milestone in the fight against international art trafficking. The items were recovered through investigations into networks led by disgraced dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener.
Key pieces include a 12th-century bronze Avalokiteshvara valued at $2 million, which was stolen from a Raipur museum and smuggled into the US by 1982. Another significant find is a $7.5 million red sandstone Buddha looted from Northern India. The handover also included a dancing Ganesha statue looted from Madhya Pradesh in 2000.
Bragg emphasised that there is “more work to be done” to return India’s cultural treasures. Consul General of India in New York Binaya Pradhan praised the cooperation between the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and US Homeland Security.
Kapoor, who was convicted in India in 2022, currently awaits extradition. His trafficking network is linked to the illegal looting and sale of thousands of artefacts across South Asia. To date, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has recovered over 6,200 treasures valued at $485 million, returning the majority to 36 different nations.
Mamdani wants king to return KohiNoor
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would encourage King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
“If I was to speak to the King separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” Mamdani told a press conference on Wednesday before he met the British monarch in NYC later. Mamdani was asked what he would say to the King, who visited New York City on the second day of his State Visit to the US.
Hours later, Mamdani met King Charles at the 9/11 memorial, but it was not confirmed if he discussed the Kohinoor issue with the British monarch. King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the 9/11 Memorial to pay respects to the victims of the terror attack.
-PTI
