Noida Man Detained for Stealing 50 Million Year Old Gastropod Fossil from IITF 2024

New Delhi, A man from Noida has been arrested for allegedly stealing a 50-million-year-old gastropod fossil from the Geological Survey of India’s stall at the India International Trade Fair 2024, police said on Tuesday.

More than 100 CCTV footages from the venue and nearby stalls, pavilions and halls have been analyzed to identify the suspects, a Delhi Police statement said.

The theft took place on November 21 in hall number four of the Ministry Mines Pavilion, they said.

GSI personnel reported that the fossil, which weighed one kilogram and was 14 cm long, 10 cm wide and 12 cm high, had disappeared from their stable, the statement said.

A gastropod fossil is the preserved remains of an ancient snail or slug.

An FIR was registered and an investigation was initiated, police said.

With the help of technical analysis, the suspect was identified and tracked to Noida. Acting on information, the police team conducted a raid in Sector 22 of Noida and arrested Manoj Kumar Mishra, the report said.

During interrogation, Mishra confessed to the theft and the Gastropod fossil was recovered from his possession. The ticket dated November 21, which he used to enter IITF-2024, was also seized from him, a statement from Deputy Commissioner of Police Sumit Kumar Jha said.

He is an employee of a five-star hotel in Noida and a regular visitor to the Trade Fair with a keen interest in various art forms, the statement said.

On November 21, he stole the Gastropod Fossil from the stall of the Geological Survey of India with the intention of selling it for a high price. A check of his background showed that he was not involved in a previous criminal case.

Further investigations are underway, police said.

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