New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to return 15 stolen antique sculptures to India

The Metropolitan Museum of Art located in New York City, US said that a total of 15 sculptures will be returned to the Indian government after discovering that the pieces had been forcibly stolen from India. In the official statement, the museum said that all the sculptures were sold by the looter Subhash Kapoor, who had assisted in smuggling the pieces out of Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other nations. A Tamil Nadu court in India gave drug dealer Kapoor a 10-year prison term in November of last year. 

"The Met contacted Homeland Security about its works from Kapoor in 2015 and is pleased to be acting on this matter today as a result of the criminal investigation into Subhash Kapoor by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Through this cooperative partnership, the museum received new information from the Manhattan DA’s office about 15 works of art that made it clear that the works should be transferred, resulting in the constructive resolution," the statement read. 

Works range in date from the 1st century BCE to the 11th century CE 

It further said, "The works range in date from the 1st century BCE to the 11th century CE, and include terracotta, copper, and stone." 

The Museum made a statement regarding the entire issue stating they are dedicated to the appropriate purchase of ancient art and apply strict provenance requirements to both new acquisitions and pieces that have been in their collection for a while. It is now investigating the history of artefacts purchased from dubious dealers.

The Museum expressed its gratitude for the resolution and expressed how much it valued its long-standing partnerships with the Indian government. In an earlier press release from October 2022, the US officials stated that they had returned 307 artefacts to India that had been taken by numerous minor trafficking networks and were worth close to 4 million dollars.

Alvin L. Bragg Jr., the district attorney for Manhattan, stated on Monday that 307 artefacts worth nearly $4 million that were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor will be returned to the people of India. At a repatriation ceremony held at the Indian Embassy in New York, all the artefacts were returned. US Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau, also participated.

(With ANI Inputs)