Nuapada: A person from Odisha’s Nuapada district was arrested by Chhattisgarh police in the wee hours of Monday for allegedly smuggling diamonds worth Rs 25 lakh in Gariaband district in the state.
The accused has been identified as Nutan Patel (55) of Godal village under Sinapali police limits of Nuapada district.
The diamond smugglers were involved in sending the stones to other parts of the country from Paylikhand diamond mine of Gariaband district.
Acting on a tip-off, Gariaband police conducted raids in Jadapadar village and intercepted the accused who was going in a two-wheeler near Kaitapadar.
After arresting the smuggler, police seized 171 pieces of diamonds of different sizes and a small weighing machine from the two. The valuation of the stones seized is around Rs 25 lakh.
Police said that the accused were illegally smuggling the diamonds from the diamond-rich belt of Gariabands Deobhog area and selling those in different states across India through middlemen.
After registering a case against the accused, police have launched an investigation into the matter. They are trying to find out the accomplices associated with the arrested man.
PNN