US returns antiquities to India in stolen art investigation
By TOM HAYS
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. authorities have returned about 250 antiquities to India in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme. The items are worth an estimated $15 million and were handed over Thursday during a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York City. The centerpiece is a bronze Shiva Nataraja valued at $4 million. The return stems from the sprawling probe by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The investigation has focused on tens of thousands of antiquities allegedly smuggled into the United States by dealer Subhas Kapoor. He denies the allegations.
