Its raining diamonds on Mumbai streets following the blasts

Mumbai, Jul 15: With the Mumbai Blast 2011 becoming yet another dark blot in the financial capital of India, the blast at the Zaveri Bazaar and Dadar seem to have hit the diamond merchants the most. The traders who have been operating from the area for years, fear that diamonds worth crores could have been lost in the blast in the melee that ensued soon after.

With traders killed in the blast, it most likely that there might be precious diamonds lying on the street especially since the blast occurred between 6:45 and 7 pm, the time most traders close for the day. According to a diamond trader, Prateek Patel who was quoted as saying to a newspaper, "After 5.30pm, a lot of traders come back to their offices with unsold diamonds. Most of these traders carry the diamonds in their pockets. A lot of traders were injured, while many others started fleeing from the area. We fear many diamonds may have fallen on the ground."

The traders carry the diamonds in their person in tiny butter paper packets and keep them hidden in their vests. There are rumours that diamonds worth Rs 25 crore went flying in the air. Sanjay Shah, a merchant has been quoted as saying, "A rough estimate shows that diamonds worth Rs 25 crore flew into the air at the time of the blast. Some people were in their shops counting their diamonds. Now they are not being allowed in. We are sure the monetary loss will mount further as we get a clearer picture."

Patel added on the costly loss, "The worth of these packets can range from a few lakhs to a few crores. These packets are first taken to prospective buyers throughout the day. Once the day ends, traders bring these packets back to their offices. That"s the time this blast occurred."

There are traders who fled the scene without keeping their diamonds back in the vaults in the aftermath of the blasts. Some have also claimed that their diamonds are lying scattered in the office and in the streets.

The merchants were assured by police that all their diamonds would be returned to their rightful owners.

OneIndia News