Finders Keepers: Gem rush hits Boudh Village

A hurry to claim valuable gemstones from excavated soil has spread maddening craze in a Boudh village.

The incident reported from Saradhapalli under Sagada panchayat of the district has now become the talk of the town after a video of the gem rush went viral on social media.

According to the video, local residents could be seen gathering in large numbers at the nearby soil deposits during the digging of a pond.

People were seen laboriously searching for precious metals braving the scorching sun and rain.

According to sources, some locals witnessed a gemstone-like material during the digging of the pond two days ago and since then, people have been thronging the area daily to try their luck.

Meanwhile, there have been no reports of any discovery of precious metals from the spot and at the same time, no reaction has been obtained from the authorities in this connection.    

The digging work of the pond is being carried out under the MGNREG scheme.

A few days ago, two persons died reportedly due to suffocation while searching for gemstones in a forest well in Odisha's Bolangir district.