US returns 200 stolen artifacts worth $100m to India
The US has returned more than 200 ancient artifacts with an estimated value of $100 million to India after being stolen and smuggled out of the South Asian country.
The artifacts, which included religious statues, bronzes and clay pieces some dating back to more than 2,000 years ago, were returned to the Indian government on Monday at a ceremony in Washington, DC, attended by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The items looted from some of India’s most treasured religious sites were seized during an operation in 2007 after the US Department of Homeland Security received a tip about a shipment of seven crates imported by a former New York-based art dealer identified as Subhash Kapoor.
“For some, these artifacts may be measured in monetary terms but for us this is beyond that. It’s a part of our culture and heritage,” said the Indian premier. “It’s the responsibility of law enforcement worldwide to ensure criminal smuggling organizations do not profit from the theft of these culturally and historically valuable items."
Kapoor and five other individuals involved in the scheme were arrested in 2012 and are currently in custody in India awaiting trial for allegedly looting tens of millions of dollars worth of rare antiquities from several nations, according to a media release.
"Today, more than 200 antiquities and cultural artifacts that speak to India's astounding history and beautiful culture are beginning their journey home, where they can be studied and reflected upon for generations to come," Lynch said. "It is my hope - and the hope of the American people - that this repatriation will serve as a sign of our great respect for India's culture."
Over the past decade, the US has handed back over 8,000 stolen artifacts to 30 countries, including paintings from France, Germany, Poland and Austria; 15th to 18th century manuscripts from Italy and Peru; and cultural artifacts from China, Cambodia and Iraq.
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