NEW YORK: Customs officials in New York have recovered a bronze religious statue from the 11th or 12th century that they say was looted from a temple in India.
The New York office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday an anonymous collector voluntarily surrendered the idol. It says the 2 1/2-foot idol was looted from a temple in Tamil Nadu at the southern tip of India and will be returned to India.
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Customs agents say the collector bought the object in 2006 and was given false provenance papers.
ICE says the bronze statue would sell for as much as $1 million if offered on the market.
The idol’s recovery is part of a three-year investigation into former New York-based art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who’s awaiting trial in India on looting charges.
