{
  "id": 6664068,
  "title": "Brought to India 14 years ago, notorious idol smuggler is headed back to Germany",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/brought-to-india-14-years-ago-notorious-idol-smuggler-is-headed-back",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T23:33:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/brought-to-india-14-years-ago-notorious-idol-smuggler-is-headed-back-to-germany-10872633/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fourteen years ago, Subash Chandra Kapoor, an international antiques dealer and idol smuggler, was transported to India from a German prison. Now, after a career that spanned forgotten Tamil Nadu temples, Manhattan galleries, international museums, police files, and multimillion-dollar transactions, Kapoor is set to embark on a journey back to Germany. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ordered the Union government to take custody of Kapoor from Tiruchi Central Prison and facilitate his return to Germany, based on a peculiar legal twist from the extradition treaty that initially brought him here in 2012. Kapoor, a US citizen and once a celebrated Manhattan antiquities dealer, was convicted in 2022 for the burglary and illegal export of 19 antique idols, valued at over Rs 94 crore, from the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Suthamalli, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu. Although his prison sentence was completed in 2023, Tamil Nadu sought to prosecute him for additional idol-theft cases. Germany, required under the rule of speciality for his extradition, refused consent for four cases, leaving the outcome uncertain. Over the years, objects appeared to move effortlessly around Kapoor, from temples to Manhattan galleries, museums, and American courts, with their journeys often cloaked in paperwork and international transfers. Kapoor's gallery and business thrived in Manhattan, where he became a respected dealer and donor, while investigators uncovered a complex web of idol theft, fraudulent provenance, and art market manipulation. Despite the arrest and extradition process, questions remain about the fate of the missing idols and the challenges of returning them to India. Kapoor, now 77, is expected to leave prison and return to Germany, where his story began.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Subash Chandra Kapoor, 77, once a Manhattan antiquities dealer, faces return to Germany.",
    "Madurai High Court orders Union government to take custody of Kapoor from prison.",
    "Kapoor convicted for 19 idol thefts valued over Rs 94 crore from Tamil Nadu temple."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express - India",
        "title": "Brought to India 14 years ago, notorious idol smuggler is headed back to Germany",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/brought-to-india-14-years-ago-notorious-idol-smuggler-is-headed-back-6665840",
        "published": "2026-09-10T23:33:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}