Manhattan's District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg has recently announced the repatriation of 39 antiquities to Pakistan. These artifacts, retrieved through criminal investigations, represent a significant cultural triumph for the people of Pakistan. Among the recovered items is a notable Buddha and Attendants Frieze, a relic of the Gandharan era, that had been illicitly funneled through Manhattan to various U.S. collectors.
The returned treasures were part of a larger cache tied to the notorious art trafficker Subhash Kapoor, who along with his coterie, has trafficked South and Southeast Asian artifacts for over a decade. According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the ongoing investigation into Kapoor's operations has resulted in the conviction of five individuals and the pending extradition of five others, including Kapoor himself from India.
"Pakistan has worked closely with authorities here in New York to recover stolen antiquities trafficked out of our country," Consul General Aamer Ahmed Atozai of the Consulate General of Pakistan, New York, told the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The collaborative efforts have culminated in the return of over 500 artifacts, with the current lot including an ancient Indus Valley Terracotta Vessel decorated with vivid, hand-painted fish motifs, dating back thousands of years.
The success of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) under District Attorney Bragg's watch has been remarkable; the ATU has secured the recovery of more than 2,350 antiquities pilfered from 42 countries, which are collectively valued at over $250 million. Among the recovered items is the aforementioned Gandharan frieze and an Indus-era pottery, which are but a segment of the historic artifacts that the ATU has repatriated to nations from which they were taken.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos serves as the Chief of the ATU and led the investigation, receiving support from Assistant District Attorneys James Edward-Lebair and Taylor Holland, Investigative Analyst Charlotte Looram; District Attorney Investigator John Paul Labbat; and Special Agent Robert Fromkin of Homeland Security Investigations.
