Reports from Senthurai village in Ariyalur district said many of the 65-million-year-old eggs, buried in a river bed there, have been taken away by people.

Officials said people had been taking away fossilised items found in the area, not knowing its value, long before the students found these eggs. Police protection has now been provided in the area to stop the 'looting,' they said.

Ariyalur and neighbouring Perambalur geological sites nestle in the northern plains of the Cauvery river.

The eggs are believed to be that of the most aggressive Carnosaur and the leaf-eating Sauropod and were discovered by research students of Periyar University, Salem. District authorities are now exploring the possibility of fencing the entire area.