Indian farmer turns millionaire after diamond find

A farmer in Madhya Pradesh has become a millionaire after finding a 14.98-carat diamond which has fetched him Rs 60.60 lakh at an auction.

Panna (Madhya Pradesh): A 45-year-old farmer hailing from Madhya Pradesh's Panna town, who found a 14.98-carat diamond on his farmland, has become a millionaire after getting Rs 60.60 lakh for the jewel.

According to sources, Lakhan Yadav had found the 14.98-carat diamond last month from his farming land in Panna district's Krishna Kalyanpur area.

Meanwhile, Panna District Collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra said that overall, 203 diamonds of 269.16 carats were put up for auction, but 131 of them could not be sold.

These diamonds would be auctioned next year. The effect of COVID-19 pandemic was seen at the auction as less number of traders took part in it compared to previous years, he said.

For Yadav, who is a small farmer with a two-acre land, this was the first diamond extraction and the gem was sold for Rs 60.60 lakh at the auction, sources said.

"I am happy. This is God's gift. I will use the money from the proceeds for the education of my children," Yadav told reporters.

Panna, a district in the impoverished Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, is known for its diamond mines. Earlier, three persons had found diamonds from mines but Yadav's story has become viral one in social media.