International antiques dealer Subash Kapoor, accused of idol thefts, to be handed over to Centre

International antiques dealer Subash Chandra Kapoor , who is in a Tiruchi jail for idol theft, is likely to be handed over to the Union government authorities soon, following an order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to repatriate him to Germany, sources said.

Kapoor, who has been accused of involvement in a number of idol theft cases in Tamil Nadu as well as in other countries, is a U.S. citizen. He was extradited from Germany to India in 2012 in connection with a case registered by the Udayarpalayam police in 2008 over the theft of 19 idols from a temple. As part of the extradition process, India had assured Germany that Kapoor would not be prosecuted in any case other than the one for which he was extradited, without Germany’s consent.