A 49-year-old man was detained on Tuesday after reportedly taking a 50-million-year-old fossil from the Geological Survey of India’s (GSI) pavilion at the India International Trade Fair 2024 in Delhi. According to police, the culprit, Manoj Kumar Mishra, a Noida resident, was caught after officers analyzed over 100 CCTV footage from the location and neighboring kiosks, pavilions, and halls to identify him.
The theft of Gastropod Fossil, the preserved remains of an ancient snail or slug, occurred on November 21 in Hall Number Four of the Ministry of Mines Pavilion, according to police.
Following the heist, GSI officials filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, stating that the fossil, which weighed one kilogram and measured 14 cm in length, 10 cm in width, and 12 cm in width, had gone missing from their stall.
Following receipt of the complaint, a case was filed under the appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and teams were formed to recover the fossil. Using technical investigation, the offender was discovered and tracked to Noida. Based on the information, the police launched a raid in Noida’s Sector 22 and detained Mishra on Tuesday, November 26.
In addition, the November 21 ticket he used to enter IITF-2024 was taken from his hands. According to the Delhi Police, Mishra works at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Noida and is a frequent visitor to the Trade Fair with a strong interest in various art forms.
On November 21, Das stole the Gastropod Fossil from the Geological Survey of India stall to sell it for a high price. According to police, he had no previous criminal record.