The Idol Thief: The True Story of the Looting of India's Temples

S Vijay Kumar

The New York-based antiques dealer Subhash Kapoor, who has supplied art to every major museum, was arrested at Frankfurt airport in 2011 and found to be in possession of stolen Indian art worth $100 million. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation declared Kapoor one of the most prolific smugglers in the world. The Singapore-based heritage enthusiast S Vijay Kumar was instrumental in securing Kapoor’s conviction, having followed his career for years. In this book, he recounts Kapoor’s extensive pillaging and how he was aided by complicit police officers and corrupt museum officials, two-faced academics, temple looters and smugglers.

Juggernaut, 248 pages, Rs 499