Indian worker, mired in debt, found a diamond worth $100,000 (3 photos)

Raju Gond earned $4 a day. And tried to find diamonds by leasing land from the government.





Raju Gond, 40, took on any job he could find but was unable to escape poverty. But his family's life "changed forever" after he found a 19.22-carat diamond worth almost $100,000.

Raju Gond usually earned about $4 a day, taking on any job he could to support his large family. He worked in the fields, or diamond mines, in his home state of Madhya Pradesh.

Sometimes the 40-year-old and his younger brother Rakesh would pay $9.50 a day to mine the 64-square-metre (2,500-square-foot) piece of government land.

And that’s where he made his lucky find. He says his heart started pounding after he felt the stone in his hands on July 24. And as he brushed dirt off the diamond, it sparkled even more.

“I knew it was a diamond right away!” a delighted Gond said in an interview.

He first showed his find to his family and then went to the local Panna Diamond Office to have the stone appraised.

Anupam Singh, an official diamond expert, picked up the stone and weighed it. "It's a 19.22-carat white diamond," he said, valuing the stone at $100,000.



Singh added that the Panna region is famous for its rich diamond reserves. "In 1961, someone found a 54.55-carat diamond, then in 2018, a 42-carat diamond was found, and now this," he said, adding that smaller diamonds were also found earlier this year.

It is possible that Gond made the find thanks to the weather. Two months ago, monsoons hit the region, washing away the soil and making it easier for prospectors to find gold. So the Indian decided to try his luck. To prospect for diamonds on government land, people must fill out a form, provide identification, submit photographs and pay 800 rupees ($9.50) to the government.

Singh, the diamond expert, said the government leases small mines to families who want to prospect for the gems, under the supervision of local officials. The government takes an 11.5 percent royalty on any find, plus a small tax, and gives the rest to the finder.

Singh said the diamond department will wait until the value of its stockpile exceeds $360,000 before holding an auction, after which Gond will receive his payment.

Gond has already opened a bank account and is eagerly awaiting the money to arrive. "Our lives have changed forever," he said.

"The first thing I'll do is pay back the $6,000 debt. Then we'll invest in all the children's education, build houses, buy some land, and maybe even a tractor," he said.

Recently, he said, he's had trouble making ends meet. His family includes his parents, wife, seven children, and the families of his younger brother and sister.

When he was growing up, his father and grandfather would tell Gond stories about people who found diamonds in the ground, "and how the family's fortunes changed after that." Today, he says, he has his own story to share.