Tribal siblings hit luck twice in 2 years as Panna pit throws up Rs 30L gem

Bhopal: Lady Luck smiled on a pair of siblings from a tribal family for the second time in two years, as they dug up a 11.19-carat gem in the diamond-rich Panna district, which is estimated to fetch about Rs 30 lakh once auctioned.The sparkling piece of diamond was discovered on Monday at the Ahirgawan diamond mine by the siblings, Rakesh and Raju.The siblings couldn’t believe their luck as the leased mining pit, which threw up a 19.22-carat gem in 2024, making them richer by nearly Rs 93 lakh at a govt auction, coughed up another uncut gem.Rakesh took a mining lease from the Panna Diamond Office on April 27 this year. Along with his elder brother Raju, brother-in-law Ratan and the owner of the farmland where the mine is located, he had been excavating the leased pit for nearly two months before striking the glittering stone.The diamond was deposited with the Panna Diamond Office, where it was examined by experts and accepted as per procedure. It will now be auctioned at the next govt sale.Rakesh said the proceeds from the upcoming auction would be invested in taking another mining lease and continuing the search for diamonds.Panna counts itself as the country’s lone operational diamond-producing region where individuals can obtain govt leases to scout for diamonds.