Hundreds flood Andhra villages after farmer finds diamond worth Rs 17 lakh

Every year after the rains, people flock Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district looking, not for work, but diamonds in the fields. And this year, bus driver Ponnaiah was in luck.[caption id="attachment_138351" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. Reuters[/caption]In an interview with CNN-IBN, Ponnaiah, who was out looking for diamonds in Kurnool and found one, said, "Me and my brother had been searching for diamond. I have found one. We plan to sell it off and this will solve our problems. Now we are returning, but will come back again."After news of an agriculture labourer stumbled upon a diamond worth Rs 17 lakh in Jonnagiri village of Tuggali, hundreds of locals and people from nearby districts have flooded these villages to try their luck, reports the New Indian Express.In this diamond rich mining area, the precious stones show up after the rains wash away several layers of the earth.In another CNN-IBN report, Subra Rao, police inspector of Jonnagiri said “people come for one or two months then go back. We are requesting people to report to police station and then continue search to ensure anti-social elements don’t come here”.Apart from the locals, people from neighboring districts like Anantapur, Kadapa and Prakasam of Andhra Pradesh and Bellary of Karnataka are also participate in this ‘diamond hunt’, reports the New Indian Express.