Subhash Kapoor investigation prompts $3.4M in art returned to Pakistan – ARTnews.com


The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced the return of 192 antiquities valued at nearly $3.4 million to Pakistan on Thursday.

The majority of the items, 187 of them, were seized as part of an investigation into former Manhattan art dealer Subhash Kapoor. The dealer was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Indian court for burglarly and illegal export of idols earlier this month.

“Subhash Kapoor was one of the world’s most prolific antiquities traffickers, yet thanks to the work of our dedicated investigators and analysts, we have been able to recover thousands of pieces looted by his network,” District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in a statement.  

Related Articles

“We will continue to pursue full accountability against Mr. Kapoor and his co-conspirators, who showed a blatant disregard for the cultural and historic significant of these antiquities,”

After smuggling the items into Manhattan, Kapoor and his accomplices often sold the pieces through the art dealer’s gallery, Art of the Past.

Between 2011 and 2022, the DA’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations have recovered more than 2,500 items illegally acquired and sold by Kapoor and his network, the DA’s office said, estimating the total value of the recovered items at more than $143 million.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office first issued an arrest warrant for Kapoor a decade ago. In late 2019, the office then indicted Kapoor and seven co-defendants for conspiracy to traffic stolen artworks. Bragg’s office is continuing to pursue prosecution in the United States and has filed extradition papers for his return to the US.

Last month, a spokesperson for HSI told ARTnews that “it is anticipated that [Kapoor] will be extradited to the United States upon his release from prison in India.”

The items were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Pakistan Consulate.



Source link

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. By agreeing you accept the use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.

Close Popup
Privacy Settings saved!
Privacy Settings

When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Control your personal Cookie Services here.

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

Technical Cookies
In order to use this website we use the following technically required cookies
  • wordpress_test_cookie
  • wordpress_logged_in_
  • wordpress_sec

WooCommerce
We use WooCommerce as a shopping system. For cart and order processing 2 cookies will be stored. This cookies are strictly necessary and can not be turned off.
  • woocommerce_cart_hash
  • woocommerce_items_in_cart

Decline all Services
Save
Accept all Services
Open Privacy settings