US Returns $10 Million Worth of Looted Antiques to India

In a major development, the United States has returned over 1,400 looted artifacts worth $10 million to India as part of an ongoing initiative to repatriate stolen cultural items from South and Southeast Asia. Among the returned artifacts is a celestial dancer sandstone sculpture, which had been illegally smuggled from central India to London before being sold to a patron of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Returned Artifacts

• Over 1,400 looted artifacts returned to India, valued at $10 million.
• Notable item: Celestial dancer sandstone sculpture—an artifact smuggled from India and sold to the Met.
• Artifacts were previously on display at prestigious institutions like the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

US-India Cultural Property Agreement

• In July, India and the US signed their first “Cultural Property Agreement” aimed at preventing illicit trafficking of antiquities.
• The agreement formalizes the US’s commitment to repatriating stolen cultural property to India.

Recent Returns and Historical Significance

• In September, the US returned 297 stolen or trafficked antiquities, dating from 2000 BCE to 1900 CE.
• These artifacts came from different parts of India, including terracotta artifacts from Eastern India.
• Since 2016, the US has returned 578 cultural artifacts to India, the highest number by any country.

Statements from Authorities

• William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York, highlighted the significance of the repatriation as a “multi-year, international investigation”.
• Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, emphasized the cultural importance of the returned artifacts.

Formal Ceremony and Repatriation

• The returned artifacts were officially handed over to India at a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York.
• The repatriation effort is part of broader international cooperation to curb art trafficking and preserve cultural heritage.