New York authorities have returned 657 antiquities valued at $14 million to India, including items linked to alleged art smuggler Subhash Kapoor. The repatriation was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr on Tuesday, in a move that could increase pressure on other nations to follow suit.
The ceremony coincided with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling for the return of the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India. Speaking before meeting King Charles III at the 9/11 memorial, Mamdani said he would encourage the monarch to return the gem, which is set in the Queen Mother's crown and held in the Tower of London.
The returned artefacts include a bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, stolen and smuggled into the US by 1982, and a red sandstone Buddha looted from northern India by Kapoor. A sandstone figure of a dancing Ganesha, looted by indicted co-conspirator Ranjeet Kanwar, was also handed back.
Bragg acknowledged the scale of trafficking networks targeting Indian cultural heritage, stating: 'There is unfortunately more work to be done to return stolen artifacts back to India.' The items were recovered from several ongoing investigations.
The Koh-i-Noor has been claimed by India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Historian William Dalrymple noted the diamond's history of 'bringing bad luck', suggesting it may have caused friction during the royal visit.
