Kingpin of antiques smuggling racket held
TNN | Updated: Feb 8, 2017, 07.04 AM IST
Representative image
MUMBAI: An American businessman was arrested by officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Monday from his home in south Mumbai in a crackdown that resulted in the recovery of several antiques.
"Based on a specific intelligence, the residence of Vijay Nanda, an American businessman of Indian origin was searched at Girgaum Chowpatty," said a DRI official. Nanda's business associate, Udit Jain has already been arrested by the DRI in Chennai in relation with smuggling of antiques and ancient paintings as a part of the Chennai-based 'Deendayalan' syndicate, that stole sculptures from temples in southern and eastern India.
"Nanda's godowns located in Byculla were also searched and resulted in the recovery of several antiques and artifacts for which Nanda had no legal documentation or registration with the Archaeological Survey of India as an antique dealer," the official added.
Nanda has claimed to the DRI that he was the patron of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and has arranged for display of the sculptures in the past. Nanda told DRI that he was a furniture dealer in the US. "In the last 10 years he would have smuggled at least 300 statues and other artifacts," an official said.
The total value of the smuggled goods would be around Rs 10 crore, an official said. The official said that these statues which belonged to the 10-11th century AD period, appeared to be stolen or vandalized from various temples in sastern and southern India. "There has been an attempt made to legitimize the same through registrations of Archaeological Survey of India and creation of fake documents of procurement," the official added.
"Based on a specific intelligence, the residence of Vijay Nanda, an American businessman of Indian origin was searched at Girgaum Chowpatty," said a DRI official. Nanda's business associate, Udit Jain has already been arrested by the DRI in Chennai in relation with smuggling of antiques and ancient paintings as a part of the Chennai-based 'Deendayalan' syndicate, that stole sculptures from temples in southern and eastern India.
"Nanda's godowns located in Byculla were also searched and resulted in the recovery of several antiques and artifacts for which Nanda had no legal documentation or registration with the Archaeological Survey of India as an antique dealer," the official added.
Nanda has claimed to the DRI that he was the patron of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and has arranged for display of the sculptures in the past. Nanda told DRI that he was a furniture dealer in the US. "In the last 10 years he would have smuggled at least 300 statues and other artifacts," an official said.
The total value of the smuggled goods would be around Rs 10 crore, an official said. The official said that these statues which belonged to the 10-11th century AD period, appeared to be stolen or vandalized from various temples in sastern and southern India. "There has been an attempt made to legitimize the same through registrations of Archaeological Survey of India and creation of fake documents of procurement," the official added.
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