A customs report has alerted the government that conflict diamonds are finding their way into India for processing, and then exported to the US and European markets. More than 48,000 carats of conflict diamonds were seized in Surat and Mumbai in the last one year.
Investigations revealed that the diamonds were of Zimbabwean origin and were smuggled into India via Kenya. These diamonds were not supported by Kimberley Process Certification, a mandatory requirement for legitimate diamonds, and could be a conduit for money laundering as well.
Conflict diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel groups in African countries to “finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments”. They are also called blood diamonds as warlords in Angola, Sierra Leone and Congo, who were responsible for millions of civilian deaths had used them to fund their arms purchase and other activities.
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