extradition request - used his Arts of the Past gallery in New York to traffic looted treasures from India and various countries in Southeast Asia. said in a statement.Īuthorities say Kapoor - jailed in India and facing charges there pending a U.S. 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. 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 ceremony stems from a sprawling probe by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Homeland Security Investigations arm of U.S.
The centerpiece is a bronze Shiva Nataraja valued at $4 million, authorities said. The items, worth an estimated $15 million, were handed over during a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York City. US authorities returned about 250 antiquities to India on Thursday in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme.
