In a stroke of luck, a labourer became rich overnight when he unearthed three diamonds worth Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh at a diamond mine in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, a senior official said on Thursday. While digging a shallow mine, the labourer, identified only as Subal, found three diamonds with net weight of 7.5 carat, Panna district's diamond officer R K Pandey said.
Experts have valued the precious stones at anywhere between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh.
The labourer has deposited the stones at the district diamond office and they will be auctioned as per government rules, Pandey said.
After deducting 12 per cent tax, Subal will get the remaining 88 per cent of the sale proceeds, the official said.
A few days ago, another labourer had managed to find a 10.69 carat diamond from one of the mines in Panna in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.
Panna, otherwise located in a backward region, is world famous for its diamond mines.