In a significant step toward restoring cultural heritage, authorities in the United States have handed over 657 stolen antiquities-valued at nearly $14 million-to India following extensive investigations into international smuggling networks.

The restitution was led by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, with District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr announcing the handover during a formal ceremony attended by Indian diplomatic representatives.

The recovered artefacts are linked to global trafficking rings involving accused dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener. Officials described the scale of theft as extensive, with hundreds of culturally significant objects removed from India over decades.

Among the most notable items returned is a rare bronze sculpture of Avalokiteshvara, estimated to be worth $2 million. The idol was originally housed at the Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum in Raipur before being stolen and smuggled abroad in the early 1980s. It was later recovered from a private collection in New York.

Another high-value piece includes a red sandstone Buddha statue valued at $7.5 million, which had been trafficked into the US through Kapoor's network and stored in a New York facility before being seized by authorities.

Additionally, a sandstone sculpture of a dancing Ganesha-looted from a temple in Madhya Pradesh around 2000-was also returned. The piece had been sold using forged provenance documents and auctioned internationally before being surrendered by a private collector.

The recovery operation was part of efforts led by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU), in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations. Over the years, the unit has retrieved thousands of stolen cultural objects globally and facilitated their return to multiple countries.