While smaller stones are more commonly found, Raju Gound’s find is significant due to its size. Such large discoveries are rare, with a similar find in 2018 when a labourer from Bundelkhand region unearthed a diamond worth Rs 1,50,00,000 in Panna.
A labourer’s life changed overnight after discovering a massive 19.22-carat diamond in a mine in Madhya Pradesh's Panna on Wednesday, July 24. The 19.22-carat diamond, found by Raju Gound, is expected to fetch around $95,570 (Over Rs 80,00,000) at a government auction, according to a BBC report.
Raju Gound, who has been leasing mines in Panna city for over a decade, finally struck gold - or rather, diamond. Panna is known for its rich diamond reserves, where people often lease inexpensive, shallow mines from the government in hopes of finding the precious stone.
The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) operates a mechanised diamond mining project in Panna and also leases out shallow mines to individuals, families, and cooperative groups, who typically use basic tools to search for diamonds. Any discovery is handed over to the government diamond office for evaluation.
“These mines can be leased for about 200-250 rupees [for a specific period],” Anupam Singh, an official at the state government’s diamond office, told the BBC.
While smaller stones are more commonly found, Raju Gound’s find is significant due to its size. Such large discoveries are rare, with a similar find in 2018 when a labourer from Bundelkhand region unearthed a diamond worth Rs 1,50,00,000 in Panna.
Gound’s father had leased the mine in Krishna Kalyanpur Patti village near Panna about two months ago. The family typically leases mines during the monsoon season when other work is scarce. “We are very poor and have no other source of income. So we do this in the hope of making some money,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, while performing his daily task of manually searching for diamonds, Gound’s hard work paid off. “It’s tedious work. We dig a pit, pull out chunks of soil and rock, wash them in a sieve, and then carefully sift through thousands of dried, tiny stones to look for diamonds,” he explained. That afternoon, he spotted what looked like a piece of glass, which turned out to be a diamond.
Gound took his treasure find to the government diamond office, where it was evaluated and weighed. Anupam Singh confirmed that the diamond would be sold at the next government auction, and Gound would receive his compensation after the deduction of government royalties and taxes.
With the money, Gound hopes to build a better house for his family and fund his children’s education. His first priority, however, is to pay off a debt of Rs 5,00,000. He is not worried about others knowing of his discovery, as he plans to share the money with 19 relatives who live with him.
For now, Gound is content knowing that the money will come to him. “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the mine again to look for diamonds,” he said.