The US returned 307 antiques valued at about $4 million to India in 2022. Smaller trafficking networks stole and sold these antiques abroad. At the Ronald Reagan Center, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his delight. He praised the US government for returning over 100 stolen treasures to India, highlighting their emotional relationship.
The Indian government under Prime Minister Modi has been aggressively bringing back cultural and spiritual items. The government took action to recover India’s cultural heritage after several precious artifacts were stolen and transported overseas.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted this issue with world leaders and international organizations during his foreign tours, resulting in the repatriation of 251 artifacts to India, 238 of which were returned since 2014. In 2022, the US recovered 307 antiques confiscated from art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who trafficked objects from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and others.
At the Indian Consulate in New York, Consul General Randhir Jaiswal and Tom Lau, Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge of US Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), repatriated these artifacts. The $85,000 marble Arch Parikara was smuggled out of India and landed at Yale University Art Gallery.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office repatriated 682 antiques valued at $84 million to 13 nations in 2022. The Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned approximately 2,200 items worth $160 million to 22 nations since its founding. The Government of India’s tireless efforts has helped retrieve these relics, which showcase India’s old civilization.
