Madhya Pradesh Diamond Hunters Hit Jackpot: Childhood Best Friends Discover ‘$55,000 Diamond’ in Panna

Madhya

Pradesh: Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed, two childhood friends from Panna district in Madhya Pradesh recently discovered a diamond in a plot they had leased from the government, a BBC report said. While the diamond has not yet been auctioned, its worth is estimated to fall between $55,000 and $66,000.How did the duo discover the diamond?Panna in Madhya Pradesh is home to a significant amount of India’s diamond reserves. While most mines in the city are run by the government, state authorities in MP lease small plots to locals at nominal rates every year. Residents often lease these lands in hopes to discover fortune, but it is more common for them to return empty handed.

Khatik and Mohammed leased a small plot of land from State authorities in Panna on November 19, mere weeks before making the discovery that would change their lives. They would comb through mounds of earth day after day in hopes of discovering a diamond. Their daily hunt was thorough and the process remained unchanged; they would dig pits into the ground, draw out soil and rock and wash them through sieves before leaving these stones to dry. They would then sift through thousands of small stones, hoping the day would bring with it a diamond, the outlet reported.One such day, they pulled out a large, shining stone out of their plot, certain that they had made the discovery they were hoping for.When the duo took their stone to the city’s official diamond evaluator, they were informed that it was no regular diamond, but a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond, one of the finest varieties of natural diamonds to exist. Anupam Singh, the evaluator who broke this news with them told the BBC that, "The estimated market price of the stone is around five to six million rupees ($55,000 - $66,000; £41,000 - £49,000) and it will be auctioned soon".

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The government hosts Indian and foreign buyers at auctions every quarter, who place their bids on diamonds discovered at local mines. While Mohammed and Saitish are yet to collect money for their diamonds, they are hopeful that they will receive a generous amount. "Estimated prices depend on the dollar rate and benchmarks set by the Rapaport report," Mr Singh said to the outlet. Rapaport is widely recognised as a leading authority in independent analysis of the diamond and jewellery markets.Who are Mohammed and Khatik, the Diamond Hunters?The two childhood friends who made the discovery are by no means diamond hunters by profession. Khatik Khatik (24) runs a meat shop and Mohammed sells fruits in Panna - among India’s least developed districts. Apart from being traders, both of them hold three more qualities in common - they hail from poor backgrounds, are younger sons in their families and for generations, their families, like countless other poor families in Panna, have been trying their luck at finding diamonds. Two generations in Mohammed’s family, his father and grandfather hunted for the diamonds for decades but could not find anything more than dust and slivers of quartz. Mohammed’s father Nafeez said to BBC that the "gods have finally rewarded their (the family’s) hard work and patience".How will they spend their money?Mohammed and Khatik announced that they wish to get their sisters married with the money they will receive for their diamond."We are not thinking of buying land, expanding our businesses or moving to a bigger city; not yet. For now, we are focused on getting our sisters married," they said.