The Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show opened to great fanfare yesterday, when six mainland women were arrested under the suspicion of theft and attempted theft.
At 11:15am, two well-dressed women, aged 25 to 35, asked to see a three-carat diamond worth HKD980,000.
Sharp staff members then alerted the police after noticing the would-be-thieves had replaced the diamond with a fake.
The women were arrested after the gem was found on them.
Only fifteen minutes later, another pair of women, also between 25 and 35 years old, asked another booth to see a three-carat diamond worth about HKD500,000.
After the women left, the not-as-sharp staff noticed the fake replacement and chased after the pair.
The diamond remains missing.
The police believe the four women were part of a gang that came to Hong Kong to target the international jewellery show at the AsiaWorld Expo, reports the SCMP.
Finally, at around 12:50pm, a third pair of women was stopped by police and searched. They were arrested for attempted theft after a fake diamond was found in their belongings.
It’s unclear what made the police suspect the third pair in the first place.
The six women were detained and questioned, with none charged.
Photo: Arby Reed via Flickr
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