New York officials return more than 650 antiquities valued at $14m to India

Hundreds of antiquities valued at $14m have been returned to India by New York authorities, including some connected to the alleged art smuggler Subhash Kapoor, in a move that is likely to raise the pressure on others to make similar gestures. The return of 657 antiquities was announced by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg Jr, on Tuesday, and came as New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani , waded into the historically contentious ownership of the 105.6 carat Koh-i-noor diamond. Mamdani, the city’s first democratic socialist mayor, suggested to reporters that Britain should return the gem – which is set into the Queen Mother’s crown and held in the Tower of London – to India , hours before shaking hands with King Charles on Wednesday at the 9/11 memorial. Mamdani’s press office did not mention meeting the British monarch in its daily scheduling Wednesday and later said: “I’ll be attending a wreath-laying alongside a number of other elected officials.” But Mamdani said that if he met with Charles privately, he “would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-noor diamond”. The return of Indian antiquities recovered from several ongoing investigations was held at a ceremony at the consulate general of India. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said the ceremony had been scheduled months earlier and was not connected to the royal visit. …