In the Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, fortune knocked on the door of two young friends and transformed their lives overnight. Satish Khatik, 24, and Sajid Mohammad, 23, were both burdened with family responsibilities. Their households were struggling financially, and the two were especially anxious about arranging their sisters’ weddings.

Satish ran a modest meat shop, while Sajid earned his living selling fruit.

Hoping for a small stroke of luck, they decided to lease a tiny mine in the Krishna Kalyanpur area of Panna. Their expectations were low; at best, they dreamt of finding a small diamond that could ease their families’ financial strain. But destiny had a far bigger surprise in store.

Barely 20 days after taking the lease, the pair were digging when something glittered in the

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