Religious relics and sculptures dating to the 2nd century that were recovered by authorities in 2015 were turned over Monday to representatives of the government of Pakistan.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. held a repatriation ceremony for 45 objects that were among those recovered in New York City when search warrants were executed against a suspect in the trafficking of the illegal exportation of artifacts from countries including Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.
Another five had been returned to India in August.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office and the federal government have investigative units that work on recovering stolen antiquities and returning them to their rightful origins.
Last year, Vance’s office repatriated a gilded coffin that had been on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after it was determined the piece had been looted from Egypt and sold under false documentation.
