A village in Nagaland’s Mon district has hit the headlines following social media posts claiming discovery of diamond-like stones in the area, prompting the state government to despatch a four-member team of geologists to visit Wanching village and submit a report on the claims at the earliest.
The videos and pictures of villagers from Wanching, 31km from the district headquarters, digging the area for the “rare and naturally occurring” precious mineral started doing the rounds for the past few days.
However, reports emanating from Wanching on Saturday suggest the diamond-like stones may be quartz or some other kind of crystal but confirmation will be available only next week.
Wanching has about 700 households with a population of around 4500. It falls under the Wakching subdivision of Mon district.
Director general (prisons and jails) of Nagaland police Rupin Sharma was among those who tweeted, “Reports apparently of #Diamond found in #Wanching village #Mon district #Nagaland.”
The directorate of geology and mining, Nagaland, has entrusted geologists Abenthung Lotha, Longrikaba, Kenyelo Rengma and David Lhoupenyi to visit the village and verify the claims.
Mon district is known for its coal deposits. Minerals available in Nagaland include coal, limestone, petroleum and natural gas, nickel, cobalt, chromium, magnetite, copper, zinc, and platinum. Mon is over 330km from capital Kohima.
A senior Mon district official told The Telegraph on Friday that some stones have been reportedly discovered but only the geologists will be able to confirm what these are.