Curious case of sea spewing ‘gold’ in Andhra’s Kakinada and the spirited rush

Hundreds of fishermen, including women and children, have been on a “gold rush” on the beaches of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district for the last two days.

Braving heavy rain and cold weather, these people, mostly from Uppada and Suradapeta villages of U Kothapalli block, have been sieving the beach sand hoping to find grains and beads of gold that could have washed ashore due to high tidal waves caused by recent Cyclone Nivar.

“According to our information, four or five fishermen who came to the seaside on Friday morning happened to find some golden beads on the sand and that fetched them a few hundred rupees. Within no time, the news spread like wildfire and the villagers have started flocking the beach in search of gold beads and grains,” U Kothapalli sub-inspector of police B Lova Raju told Hindustan Times.

Holding umbrellas, the villagers searched all along the Uppada beach and sieved the sand using fishing nets, combs and even clothes. “However, hardly a few people were lucky to find them. But the villagers have not lost their hope,” the SI said.

Asked how the golden beads or grains were washed ashore, Raju said a few houses and a couple of old temples on the coast had been washed away during the last month’s heavy rain and some of them might have lost small pieces of gold.

“It is also common that people who come to pilgrim centres in the nearby areas leave some small gold pieces in the sea while taking holy baths. During the latest Cyclone Nivar, some of these small gold objects might have washed ashore in tidal waves,” Raju said.

He said had there been big pieces of gold, the revenue authorities would have plunged into action by now. “It is not exactly sea spewing gold on the shore. They are minute pieces that would hardly fetch them a couple of thousands of rupees. However, the police have kept a vigil,” the SI said.