Indian steals Rs 1.48-crore diamond in Singapore, hides it in mouth; jailed
The two Indian nationals stole a Rs 1.48-crore diamond from a Singapore jewellery store by spitting out a counterfeit diamond hidden in one of their mouths and swapping it with the genuine stone.
A Singapore court has sentenced an Indian tourist to two years, two months and two weeks in jail after he was caught stealing a diamond worth US$154,000 (Rs 1.48 crore) from a jewellery store by swapping it with a counterfeit stone.
The accused, Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, was sentenced on July 17 for the June 19 theft. His accomplice, Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, 30, is in remand and his case is pending for the theft in Chinatown.
According to court documents, the two Indian nationals had planned the theft before arriving in Singapore. They made a counterfeit diamond in India that matched the genuine 4.95-carat diamond's specifications and serial number. Court documents did not disclose how they obtained the details of the precious stone.
The pair visited the Dianoche jewellery store at around 3 pm on June 19. Prosecutors said Serasiya concealed the fake diamond in his mouth while Mangroliya asked to inspect the genuine diamond and several other jewellery items, repeatedly distracting the sales manager, news agency AFP reported.
According to police, Mangroliya instructed Serasiya to make the swap. Serasiya allegedly spat out the counterfeit diamond, took the genuine one and concealed it in his mouth. The two then told the sales manager they would consider the purchase and left the store without buying anything.
The store's CCTV cameras captured the incident and the sales manager later confirmed that the diamond left behind was fake after examining it with an optical gemstone identification machine.
After leaving the store, the two men checked out of their hotel and booked flights to India. They were arrested while attempting to clear immigration at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at around 9 pm the same day.
Police recovered the genuine diamond from Serasiya's bag, the court heard.
Under Singapore law, theft is punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.
A Singapore court has sentenced an Indian tourist to two years, two months and two weeks in jail after he was caught stealing a diamond worth US$154,000 (Rs 1.48 crore) from a jewellery store by swapping it with a counterfeit stone.
The accused, Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, was sentenced on July 17 for the June 19 theft. His accomplice, Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, 30, is in remand and his case is pending for the theft in Chinatown.
According to court documents, the two Indian nationals had planned the theft before arriving in Singapore. They made a counterfeit diamond in India that matched the genuine 4.95-carat diamond's specifications and serial number. Court documents did not disclose how they obtained the details of the precious stone.
The pair visited the Dianoche jewellery store at around 3 pm on June 19. Prosecutors said Serasiya concealed the fake diamond in his mouth while Mangroliya asked to inspect the genuine diamond and several other jewellery items, repeatedly distracting the sales manager, news agency AFP reported.
According to police, Mangroliya instructed Serasiya to make the swap. Serasiya allegedly spat out the counterfeit diamond, took the genuine one and concealed it in his mouth. The two then told the sales manager they would consider the purchase and left the store without buying anything.
The store's CCTV cameras captured the incident and the sales manager later confirmed that the diamond left behind was fake after examining it with an optical gemstone identification machine.
After leaving the store, the two men checked out of their hotel and booked flights to India. They were arrested while attempting to clear immigration at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at around 9 pm the same day.
Police recovered the genuine diamond from Serasiya's bag, the court heard.
Under Singapore law, theft is punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.
A Singapore court has sentenced an Indian tourist to two years, two months and two weeks in jail after he was caught stealing a diamond worth US$154,000 (Rs 1.48 crore) from a jewellery store by swapping it with a counterfeit stone.
The accused, Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, was sentenced on July 17 for the June 19 theft. His accomplice, Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, 30, is in remand and his case is pending for the theft in Chinatown.
According to court documents, the two Indian nationals had planned the theft before arriving in Singapore. They made a counterfeit diamond in India that matched the genuine 4.95-carat diamond's specifications and serial number. Court documents did not disclose how they obtained the details of the precious stone.
The pair visited the Dianoche jewellery store at around 3 pm on June 19. Prosecutors said Serasiya concealed the fake diamond in his mouth while Mangroliya asked to inspect the genuine diamond and several other jewellery items, repeatedly distracting the sales manager, news agency AFP reported.
According to police, Mangroliya instructed Serasiya to make the swap. Serasiya allegedly spat out the counterfeit diamond, took the genuine one and concealed it in his mouth. The two then told the sales manager they would consider the purchase and left the store without buying anything.
The store's CCTV cameras captured the incident and the sales manager later confirmed that the diamond left behind was fake after examining it with an optical gemstone identification machine.
After leaving the store, the two men checked out of their hotel and booked flights to India. They were arrested while attempting to clear immigration at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at around 9 pm the same day.
Police recovered the genuine diamond from Serasiya's bag, the court heard.
Under Singapore law, theft is punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.
