US returns over 1,400 stolen artefacts worth $10 million to India, including iconic celestial dancer sculpture

The United States has formally returned over 1,400 looted artefacts to India, valued at approximately $10 million, as part of an ongoing international effort to recover stolen cultural treasures. The repatriation, conducted during a ceremony at the Indian consulate in New York on Wednesday, is part of broader efforts to combat the illicit trade of antiquities and return stolen cultural property to its rightful owners. Among the items returned was a sandstone sculpture of a celestial dancer, originally looted from central India, smuggled to London, and sold to a patron of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), before being donated to the museum.

These returned artefacts were seized as part of extensive investigations into antiquities trafficking networks, which have spanned several years. The objects were trafficked by individuals involved in organized criminal enterprises that specialize in stealing and selling cultural property. A major target of these investigations has been Subhash Kapoor, a notorious antiquities dealer. Kapoor, who ran a multimillion-dollar trafficking operation under the guise of his New York gallery, was arrested in 2011 in Germany and extradited to India. In 2022, Kapoor was convicted of antiquities trafficking in India. Kapoor’s network was responsible for smuggling a significant number of stolen Indian artefacts into the United States.

The celestial dancer sculpture, along with other looted artefacts, was part of a larger cache of objects that were illegally acquired and later donated to prominent institutions like the Met. Some of these artefacts had been publicly displayed for years, unknowingly accepted as legitimate pieces of cultural history. The returned artefacts include a wide range of items, such as sculptures, terracotta pieces, coins, and religious artefacts, all looted from various parts of India. Their repatriation follows a series of investigations by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, which has been leading efforts to track down stolen items and dismantle trafficking operations.

This repatriation is part of a broader and more coordinated initiative between India and the United States to recover stolen cultural property. In July, India and the US signed the "Cultural Property Agreement," a historic agreement aimed at preventing and controlling the illicit trafficking of antiquities from India to the United States. This agreement allows both nations to collaborate more closely on the identification, recovery, and repatriation of stolen cultural property. It also establishes a framework to prevent the illegal export of antiquities, providing legal mechanisms for both countries to take action against traffickers and those involved in the illicit trade of cultural heritage.

Since 2016, the United States has returned 578 stolen artefacts to India, making the US the largest repatriator of cultural artefacts to India. This latest return, which includes artefacts spanning thousands of years of Indian history, further strengthens the efforts to preserve and protect India's cultural heritage. In September 2024, the United States had already returned 297 looted artefacts, including objects from 2000 BCE to 1900 CE. The repatriated objects include items from various regions of India, such as terracotta sculptures from Eastern India, as well as objects made from metal, wood, ivory, and stone.