United States Returns Scores Of Stolen Artefacts Back To Pakistan

According to New York authorities, more than 100 antiques seized from Indian-American art smuggler Subhash Kapoor have been sent back to Pakistan by the United States.

The announcement on Thursday comes a week after Kapoor was found guilty in India of stealing historic holy artifacts and smuggling them to his Manhattan art museum.

He received a 13-year jail term.

Kapoor was the focus of a significant US federal investigation known as Operation Hidden Idol. He was also wanted by American authorities.

He was charged in 2020, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has asked India to extradite him.

According to a statement from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, New York returned 192 artifacts to Islamabad worth close to $3.4 million.

According to Bragg, 187 of the artifacts were taken in connection with the inquiry into Kapoor.

A Gandhara statue of Maitreya, the enlightened Buddha, and Mehrgarh figures from a Neolithic archaeological site in Pakistan that date to around 3500–2600 BC are among the artefacts that have been recovered.