A man from Noida has been arrested for allegedly stealing a 50-million-year-old gastropod fossil from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) stall at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2024, Delhi Police confirmed on Tuesday.

The crime was reported in the early hours of Nov 21 at the Mines Pavilion Hall No 4 and was investigated by police officials. According to reports from GSI employees, there was one missing fossil of approximately one kilogram, about 14 cm long by 10 cm wide, and 12 cm in height, on display. An ancient snail or slug is called a gastropod fossil.

With the identification, the police filed an FIR and investigated the crime.

Over 100 CCTV footage clips from the trade fair venue, including nearby stalls, pavilions, and halls, were analyzed to track the accused. The suspect was eventually identified and traced to Sector 22 in Noida. Acting on this information, a police team conducted a raid and apprehended 49-year-old Manoj Kumar Mishra, according to a statement by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sumit Kumar Jha.

“We saw him milling around the stall where the fossils had been displayed. He waited till people at the stall were distracted enough before he pocketed the fossil and walked away without anyone noticing,” said DCP IITF, Sumit Kumar Jha.

“The GSI staff noticed the missing fossil later in the day… CCTV in the venue caught the accused in the act,” the officer added.

Mishra, an employee at a five-star hotel in Noida, confessed to stealing the fossil during questioning. The police also discovered the fossil and the entry ticket of November 21 by which he entered the trade fair.

“During questioning, Mishra admitted to the theft, and the fossil was recovered from his possession. A ticket dated November 21 that he used for entry into IITF-2024 was also seized,” said DCP Jha.

The investigation revealed that Mishra is a regular visitor to the trade fair and is indeed keen on art. However, he stole the fossil intending to sell it at a very good price. His background did not reveal any crime previous to this.

The police said further that investigations are being done about whether Mishra had companions or other motives behind doing this.

This unusual case calls for greater security at public exhibitions, especially for rare and valuable artifacts.