A labourer in India, Raju Gound, has been renting mines in Panna City, Madhya Pradesh for over 10 years hoping to strike it rich.
Panna is known for having many diamonds, so people often rent inexpensive, shallow mines from the government to search for these valuable stones, reported BBC.
On Wednesday (24 July) morning, Mr Raju began digging and sifting through mud in a mine to search for precious stones.
Source: Patrika. Image for illustration purposes only.
In the afternoon, his dreams finally came true after he discovered a 19.22-carat diamond.
“I was sifting through the stones when I spotted something that looked like a piece of glass. I held it up to my eyes and caught a faint glimmer. That’s when I realized I had found a diamond,” he said.
Elated by the find, Mr Raju promptly took the diamond to government authorities for evaluation and weighing.
Mr Raju shared that his father had rented the mine in Krishna Kalyanpur Patti village near Panna, where he discovered the diamond, about two months ago.
He noted that their family is “very poor” and usually resorts to mining when agricultural and masonry work runs out.
Anupam Singh, an official from the state government’s diamond office, stated that the high-quality diamond will be sold at the next auction.
Mr Raju would then receive compensation following government royalty and tax deductions.
District Collector Suresh Kumar shared that the 19.22-carat diamond might sell for eight million rupees (S$127,000) or more at the auction, according to Indian Express.
Source: BBC
Mr Raju said he would use the money to pay off his 500,000 rupees (S$8,000) debt, build a better house, and spend it on his children’s education.
He also shared that he planned to share the money with the 19 relatives who live with him.
According to BBC, Panna City is home to a mechanised diamond mining project.
The federal government’s National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) runs this mining programme.
Additionally, the NMDC rents out shallow mines to the public for about 200 to 250 rupees (S$3.20 to S$4) for a specified period.
Also read: Man Finds Gold Worth S$2.2K In S$3 Watch Strap Bought From M’sia Night Market
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Featured image adapted from BBC.
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