US Customs returns 'most wanted' stolen antique sculpture to India
Legal Corner Icon — the image was hosted by the publisher and was not captured.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) returned three recovered sculptures, valued at more than 1.5 million USD, to the government of India yesterday during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York. One of the objects - a 350-pound sandstone sculpture stolen from an Indian temple in 2009 - was listed as one of INTERPOL's top 10 most wanted stolen works of art.
The 350-pound "Vishnu and Lakshmi" sandstone sculpture dates back to the 11th or 12th century and was listed as No. 6 on INTERPOL's top 10 most wanted works of art. Also stolen from the temple and repatriated during the Jan. 14 ceremony was the 600-pound "Vishnu and Parvati" sandstone sculpture, dating to the same period.
"Vishnu and Lakshmi" was transported from India to Hong Kong. From there, it was sold to a dealer in Thailand, and then resold to a buyer in London. The London buyer shipped the sculpture to New York City for an exhibition in March 2010. On April 15, 2010, HSI special agents recovered the piece while it was being shipped back to London.