Upper East Side collector returns million-dollar statue after learning it was stolen

UPPER EAST SIDE (WABC) -- An Upper East Side art collector who unwittingly bought a million dollar statue stolen from India has agreed to turn it over to federal authorities.

The private collector bought the statue from New York-based art dealer Subhash Kapoor.

Kapoor ran the Art of the Past gallery on the Upper East Side, which sold hundreds of millions of dollars of antiquities looted from India and Afghanistan.

The statue is four feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. It was wheeled out of the owner's apartment and loaded into a truck.

"It's rather sad, but at the same time it's joyous because we've recovered a religious idol that belongs to the Tamil Nadu people which they would worship regularly," said special agent Brenton Easter.

Once the owner of the statue learned he had bought a stolen sculpture, he agreed to turn it over to Homeland Security federal agents for eventual return to India.

"He was able to work with us to help voluntarily surrender this piece, which we hope to eventually forfeit and repatriate back to the Indian people," said Easter.

The disciple of the ancient Hindu god, Shiva, is just one of many stolen antiquities seized from Kapoor after his now closed gallery on 89th street was raided back in 2012.

"We've already civilly gone after over 2,500 idols worth over $100 million. We continue to seize items as you see on a pretty regular basis, and we'll continue to pursue them," said Easter.

Federal agents have already issued an arrest warrant for Kapoor, who is jailed in India for running a $100 million international smuggling operation.

For example, a piece stolen from an Indian temple in Tamil Nadu was sold to the National Gallery of Australia for almost $6 million.

The case against Kapoor continues to mount as he awaits trial inside an Indian prison.