A theft turns attention to fossil trade

Nabarun Guha/Mongabay India

In March 2024, Romanian speleologist Tudor L. Tomas, along with local guides Milton M. Sangma and Salban M. Sangma, was studying a cave at the Gongdap Kol sinkhole, near Tolegre village in the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. In one of the caves, the team came across a large fossil jaw with black fangs exposed in the limestone.

The team, which was conducting the exploration for the non-profit Core Geo Expeditions, informed the authorities about the discovery, after which the Geological Survey of India (GSI) examined the site. It was estimated that the fossil is of a prehistoric whale dating back to the Middle Eocene period (39-47 million years ago).

But in a surprising turn of events 10 months later, on January 27, 2025, parts of the fossil were reported to have been stolen from the cave.

“The fossil was being protected by locals of Tolegre village. It was inside the cave and a locked metal grill was put up on the entrance. The thief or thieves managed to cut the grill and get inside and remove parts of the fossil,” Shailendra Bamaniya, Superintendent of Police, South Garo Hills district, told Mongabay India. “An FIR was lodged at the Siju police station on January 28. We are conducting our investigation, and the statements of locals have been taken.” Two cases were filed under sections 329 (3) and 305 (e), for criminal trespass and theft respectively, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Bamaniya and his team scoured the cave on January 27 after the incident. “It is quite difficult to reach there. The passage is very narrow and we had to crawl more than 300 feet to reach the site,” he said.

The Meghalaya education minister Rakkam A. Sangma, who is also the MLA from Rongara Siju constituency under which this area falls, told the media at a press conference, “This is a serious loss for both the state and the country. Despite best efforts from the villagers to protect the fossil, someone must have sneaked in through the dense forest to commit the theft.”

He added that the government had contemplated building a museum at the site to exhibit the fossil. But the plan is uncertain after the theft.

Mongabay India contacted GSI regarding this incident and has not received a response at the time of publishing.

Ancient whale ancestors

After its discovery in March 2024, the GSI had examined the site and collected a few samples. However, the local residents took the onus of safeguarding the site and restricted access to outsiders, including GSI.

The theft is being considered a substantial scientific loss because the specimen was stolen before thorough study and analysis, which would have helped geologists further assess the paleontological importance of the region.

The fossil is assumed to be of the now extinct genera Rodhocetus or Ambulocetus — ancestors of modern whales. Whales evolved from land mammals about 50 million years ago. Fossils of primitive whale ancestors have been found in other places in the country, such as Kutch, Gujarat and Kalakot, Jammu and Kashmir. Now, South Garo Hills in Meghalaya joins the list.

“Ancestors of whales belong to the same group as hippopotamus and deer in modern times. These ancient whales used to be herbivores but later as marine mammals, they became adapted to carnivorous diets like fish,” explained paleontologist Sunil Bajpai, who is currently the Head of Department of Earth Sciences, IIT-Roorkee told Mongabay India. He did not comment about the recent incident of fossil theft.

“The discovery of the [whale] fossil was of immense scientific value. Now, because of the theft, its scientific value has been reduced. I don’t think anybody can sell this item in this country or keep it as an antique. So in a way, the thieves can’t benefit from this fossil in any manner. In fact, all these years, it was just lying like a rock,” said a geologist who did not wish to be named as they are not authorised to officially speak to the media.

This is not the first paleontological discovery from Meghalaya. In 2021, GSI found 100-million-year-old bone specimens of sauropods in the West Khasi Hills. Titanosaurian sauropods were large bodied terrestrial dinosaurs and Meghalaya was the fifth Indian state after Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to find sauropod specimens having titanosaurian affinity.

Illegal fossil traders

In many countries, such as the United States of America (USA), trade of fossils is legalised. Many private collectors are willing to shell out millions of dollars for obtaining fossils for their collections.

However, in India, the collection and private ownership of fossils are illegal. The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, regulates the excavation, preservation and trade of antiquities which include fossils. Unauthorised collection, excavation or trade of fossils is prohibited and can lead to legal consequences.

When a 50-million-year-old fossil was stolen from a GSI stall in India International Trade Fair in Delhi last year, the culprit was arrested from Noida. He later confessed his plans to sell the item online, indicating the presence of a black-market trade in fossils.

However, there is not much data or information about the extent of fossil trade in India. Officials tackling wildlife crime say they don’t deal with fossil related cases and do not have information about the issue.

Local partnership

Following the theft, the Nokmas (village chief) of seven Garo villages, including Tolegre, held an emergency meeting and banned the GSI from further explorations, according to farmer and spokesperson Altar R Marak. “We believe unauthorised exploration in the area has brought unwanted attention, leading to the theft. We impose a ban on all explorations in the caves in our area till the culprits are apprehended,” he told Mongabay India.

He added that exploration teams in the future will have to obtain a No Objection Certificate from respective Nokmas and have to be accompanied by a local guide. The teams will also have to declare their tools during entry and exit in the caves.

The Nokmas, in Garo hills of Meghalaya, have traditionally been responsible for collecting taxes and reporting crimes. Though after the system has changed after 1947, land in the Garo hills still falls under the jurisdiction of Nokmas and the state can’t intervene directly in land related issues.

“It is a sad and unfortunate incident. We had challenges in the initial stage because the area is under Nokmas. If we tried to forcefully take over the land, it would have become a complicated issue. We will see how to work together with locals and hopefully convince GSI to continue the process of excavating these very important locations,” Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told media persons at a press conference.

Asit Saha, Director General, GSI, while speaking at a public event, called for adopting a community based scientific approach to the management and development of geosites in Meghalaya. He said that this approach, apart from safeguarding the geological and cultural heritage of these sites, also empowers nearby villages through socio-economic opportunities.

(This article was first published in Mongabay.)