India, April 29 -- In a significant step towards restoring cultural heritage, the United States has returned 657 stolen antiquities worth nearly $14 million to India, following multiple investigations into global art trafficking networks.

The artefacts were repatriated in three phases-612 items in November 2024, 26 in July 2025, and the final batch of 19 returned on April 28, 2026. Many of these pieces were linked to notorious antiquities traffickers, including Subash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener.

The formal handover took place in New York in the presence of India's Consul General. Authorities said the recovery was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle international smuggling networks dealing in stolen cultural property.

Manhattan District A...