A rumour, that a farmer from Basinepalli in Kurnool district found a precious diamond valued at ₹10 crore in his fields while tilling land, led to a few major media channels and people in social media giving wide publicity on Tuesday, and hundreds of people thronging the area to try their luck.
When contacted, Pathikonda Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Srinivasa Reddy told The Hindu that it was purely a rumour as nobody in the village had knowledge about this incident. Even the media channels were unable to tell the Revenue Department or the police as to where the diamond was supposedly found or who had found it. “Some pictures are being circulated which are fake. We have posted a police picket in Basinepalli village of Maddikera mandal in the district so that no law and order issue arises,” he said.
A similar diamond hunt begins every year at Vajrakarur in Anantapur district along with Jonnagiri, Thuggali and Peravali in Kurnool district during this time as the first pre-monsoon showers bring up some precious stones once in a while, fetching good money for people. This time, however, the rumoured diamond was said to be worth ₹10 crore. There were also rumours that the farmer had sold the diamond for ₹2 crore to some businessmen from Gooty and Tuggali, he said.
In Kurnool and Anantapur districts, many cases of people who became overnight millionaires have come to light during this pre-monsoon season. Diamond merchants also follow the path of these diamond hunters, but this village was never reported to have shown such luck to anyone so far. These precious stones are available in the soil naturally and they come out after the rain as farmers begin tilling of land. Hundreds of young and old patiently looking for diamonds on open fields is a common sight in those areas.
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