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LONDON, ENGLAND, July 6, 2003: The arrest of Vaman Ghiya last month by the Indian police on allegations of stealing antiques has sent shock waves through London’s antique trade world, and is likely to lead to an investigation of Sotheby’s, the British auction house. A six-month investigation by the Indian police, called Operation Blackhole, has identified four more icons listed in Sotheby’s catalogues in 1997 and 1999 as having been stolen from the Taneshwar temple, in Udaipur, in the 1960s. Although these were not directly connected with Ghiya, there is documentation that reveals that Sotheby’s paid large commissions over the years to questionable art dealers. The evidence against Ghiya is being passed on to Interpol to probe the extent to which the auction house may have been involved. Sotheby’s denies it ever knowingly sold stolen antiques. However, in a statement to The Observer, a British newspaper, it admitted to dealing with Ghiya, or companies connected to him in the past, but said they have had no dealings with him in recent years.

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