Valuable statues of Indian deities, revered for their cultural significance, are being smuggled worldwide for hefty profits.
Crafted with intricate detail and holding deep religious meaning, these statues are illegally trafficked, ending up in underground markets or private collections.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recently announced the successful return of 30 stolen antiquities to Cambodia and Indonesia.
The returned collection includes 27 artifacts from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and three from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Significant pieces include the ‘Shiva Triad,’ a bronze idol of the Hindu deity Shiva, and a stone bas-relief depicting royal figures from Indonesia’s Majapahit empire.
These artifacts, worth about $3 million, were part of an illegal trade network involving American dealers and traffickers, notably Subhash Kapoor, an Indian-American smuggler.
There are ongoing efforts to investigate and dismantle trafficking networks targeting Southeast Asian antiquities.
Bragg specifically identified Kapoor and American dealer Nancy Wiener for their roles in the trafficking, with Kapoor already serving a 13-year prison sentence in India following extradition and trial.
