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New Delhi: In a significant step seldom seen in scale, the United States has returned 657 stolen antiquities to India, which are valued to be around $14 million. The artefacts were formally handed over during a ceremony in New York, following years of investigation into international smuggling networks that trafficked Indian heritage objects abroad.

What is being returned?

The recovered items include rare and historically important pieces such as bronze and stone idols of Hindu and Buddhist deities, including figures of Ganesha, Buddha and Avalokiteshvara. Many of these artefacts date back centuries and were originally part of temples or heritage sites across India.

These objects are not just valuable monetarily, but hold deep cultural and religious significance for India. Their return helps restore pieces of India’s history that were lost to illegal trade. The move by the US is also part of a broader global push to return looted cultural properties to their country of origin.

How the artefacts reached the US

Investigations revealed that many of the antiquities were smuggled out of India through organised trafficking networks. A large number of items have reportedly been linked to notorious antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor, as well as other traffickers like Nancy Wiener. These networks are said to have sourced artefacts from thefts and illegal excavations, later selling them to collectors, galleries and museums abroad.

The recovery was carried out by authorities in New York, particularly the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has been actively tracking stolen artefacts through global investigations. The return of these 657 pieces is part of ongoing efforts, and officials say more such recoveries are expected as investigations continue.