The United States has repatriated more than 1,400 looted artifacts, valued at $10 million, to India as part of an ongoing initiative to return stolen art from South and Southeast Asia. Several of the recovered items, including artifacts once displayed at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, were formally handed over during a ceremony at the Indian consulate in New York on Wednesday, according to CNN.

Among the returned pieces is a sandstone sculpture of a celestial dancer, which had been smuggled from central India to London. It was later sold illegally to a patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and subsequently donated to the museum.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office revealed that the artifacts were recovered through investigations into criminal trafficking networks operated by convicted art dealers Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener. Kapoor, a former New York-based antiquities dealer, is serving a 10-year prison sentence in India after being convicted in 2022 for running a multimillion-dollar looting operation. Arrested in Germany and extradited to India, Kapoor awaits further extradition to the U.S. for additional charges.

Speaking about the operation, William S. Walker, Homeland Security Investigations New York Special Agent in Charge, said, "This repatriation is a victory in a multi-year, international investigation into one of history's most prolific offenders."

The return of these artifacts is a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts between India and the United States to protect cultural heritage. In July, the two countries signed their first-ever Cultural Property Agreement to combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities. The agreement, signed by India’s Ministry of Culture Secretary Govind Mohan and U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti, underscores their commitment to preserving cultural heritage and preventing future thefts.

The artifacts’ return marks an important step in addressing the historical plundering of cultural treasures and highlights the ongoing global effort to restore stolen heritage to its rightful place.