In a major success, Gariaband police seized 40 pieces of diamonds and cash Rs 9.38 lakh from three persons including two diamond smugglers on Thursday.
The diamonds are raw and their market value would be around 2 lakhs, informed Superintendent of Police Gariabandh (SP) Ramgopal Garg. According to police the smugglers were nabbed on a precise tip off from Indagao village about 75 kms from district headquarters while the accused were trying to slip into Odisha via Devbhog in a Mahindra Scorpio (OR-26 A-2277). The accused were identified as Brijmohan Dhakad (44) both and Ravishankar Dhakad (32) hailing from Nuapada district of Odisha. They were arrested at check post near Indagaon created by Gariaband police after getting inputs about smuggling on early Thursday morning around 6.30 am.
During the close checking of vehicle and accused 8 diamonds were seized from their possession and cash Rs 25,000. later on their instance police raided house of lakhan Sahu at Indagaon where they found 40 diamonds and cash Rs 9.38 lakhs along with an apparatus used to check diamond quality. SP Garg later talking with media persons informed that police has sent their informers in the areas where diamonds are found so that smuggling could be stopped.
He also said that involvement of Naxal element could not be ruled out in the case. “We are questioning them and are hopeful that we could get information about other smugglers as well,” SP said. The accused have been booked under relevant Sections of mining Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC), police informed. Notably Pallikhand diamond mines under Udanti sanctuary of Mainpur block has also been in news for illegal diamond trading. The mines are totally open and unprotected giving easy access to smugglers.