Diamond theft: Tourist jailed over $200k stone theft

Court documents did not disclose how they knew about the precious stone, but they commissioned a counterfeit diamond in India, matching its specifications and serial number.

The SPO said both tourists arrived in Singapore on June 19.

According to court documents, they arrived at the store at around 3pm that day, with Serasiya hiding the fake diamond in his mouth. Mangroliya asked to view the 4.95-carat diamond valued at US$154,000 (S$199,000).

Mangroliya told a sales manager he wanted to view several other items, causing the latter to leave his seat multiple times.

Yip said Mangroliya told Serasiya to make the swop. Serasiya spat out the fake diamond, took the real one and hid it in his mouth, added the prosecutor.

After that, Mangroliya told the manager they would consider the purchase, and both men left the store.

Its CCTV camera caught the pair’s actions and the manager confirmed the fake diamond was a counterfeit after examining it with an optical gemstone identification machine.

After leaving the store, Mangroliya and Serasiya checked out of their hotel and booked a flight to India.

They were caught at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at around 9pm that night.

For theft, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.