BAGHMARA, Jan 28: In a shocker, the much vaunted fossil discovered in the village of Tolegre in South Garo Hills was stolen, leaving residents in complete angst over the action.
In May last year, an expedition led by the Core Geo Expedition team had unearthed fossil in the village after scouring the area for over a month. The fossil, as per preliminary estimates, dated back about 35–40 million years and belonged to either the genus Rhodocetus or Amulocetus (extinct now). This prehistoric animal is believed to be the land ancestor of the whales.
Following the Core Geo team, a Geological Survey of India (GSI) team also reached the site last year where they apparently took samples from the site in an effort to verify the findings. However the major part of the fossil remained intact and protected by the villagers who forbade further intrusion into the area. In fact, even the district administration was asked to not visit the site in order to preserve the site and its contents.
However a source informed that the fossil was stolen, allegedly two nights ago, after someone broke into the place and dug the entire section up. The theft was confirmed by South Garo Hills Superintendent of Police, Shailendra Bamaniya.
“A team went there yesterday (Jan 27) after rumours of the fossil being stolen came through. They were however unable to contact the Nokma or the secretary of the village as they were in their fields working. However other villagers confirmed the development. The villagers are currently contemplating filing a police complaint on the theft,” informed the SP.
The theft, as per sources, may have occurred many days ago but it was discovered only after a recent visit by a senior officer who visited the village to inspect the site. The site had remained protected by the residents of Tolegre with visits being barred.
“This is really sad and Meghalaya has lost a precious find. We had pushed for the site to be conserved as it was a treasure for the region. Who knew that even after so much effort, this would be the end result. I have been woeful since I got news of this happening,” informed a resident on condition of anonymity.
His sentiments echoed across Garo Hills.
