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Stolen 1,000-year-old statue turned over by Ind. museum

November 18, 2015 | In the Press

From 13 WMAZ (http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/2015/11/18/stolen-1000-year-old-statue-turned-over-by-ind-museum/76026292/

Federal law enforcement officials confirmed that a 1,000-year-old idol displayed at Ball State University's David Owsley Museum of Art was looted from a temple in Southern India.

The university announced that it turned over the religious relic to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Monday. The statue had been on continuous display at the museum for a decade.

"The theft, trafficking and/or destruction of cultural artifacts is one of the oldest and most sinister forms of transnational crime," Glenn Sorge, acting special agent in charge for HSI New York, said in a prepared statement.

The Star Press reported in July that there was more than one reason to suspect the statue — which shows Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism, at the time of his marriage to Parvati, the goddess of love — was stolen.

For starters, the museum had purchased the artifact 10 years ago from New York City art dealer Subhash Kapoor to honor Owsley, the grandson of one of Ball State's founders and the foremost supporter of the museum.

Kapoor has since been accused of being one of the world's most prolific art smugglers/temple raiders in a federal investigation named "Operation Hidden Idol." So far, thousands of pieces valued at more than $100 million have been recovered from around the world. He remains in custody in India awaiting trial.

Although the museum had no proof at that time the idol was stolen, La France said he would immediately contact the Consulate General of India in Chicago about its true ownership.

Last summer, The Star Press quoted blogger Vijay Kumar, who had just written a short piece in The Times of India reporting that "it is likely the provenance papers of this (Ball State) statue are fake, given Kapoor's record." "The quality of preservation of this bronze shows that the statue was under worship. It was sold in 2005, the same time when Sripuranthan and Suthamalli were looted. With the help of the public, the authorities including the police should take all efforts to bring home this statue."

It's against the museum's policy to comment on the prices of works in its collection, but there is little doubt it cost in the six figures to acquire the statue, given the long list of wealthy donors who contributed to it and the estimated value of other Kapoor loot that has been recovered.

The statue will be shipped to New York, where it will become potential evidence in Operation Hidden Idols. Ultimately, it likely will be forfeited and repatriated to India along with at least six other sacred Chola bronzes recovered by HSI.

ICE says BSU representatives became "unwitting victims" as Kapoor provided the Owsley Museum with a false provenance for their artifact. Kapoor had a fraudulent provenance attributed to Leo Figiel that placed the artifact back to a U.S. collection in 1969.

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