Elaborate $25 million diamond heist ends in a swift recovery and multiple arrests

CNN

a day ago

The Middle East
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A $25 million pink diamond that was stolen in an elaborate heist in Dubai has been recovered by police just a few hours later.
The 'exceptionally' rare diamond was stolen from a jeweler by thieves posing as intermediaries for a prospective buyer, Dubai Police said in a statement Monday.
Weighing 21.25 carats, the large diamond 'boasts exceptional clarity, symmetry, and polish,' and has a unique purity rating, said police.
Its rarity made it an attractive target for the gang, which police said had worked for more than a year to take the stone.
After tracking the diamond's arrival in Dubai from Europe, the gang devised a 'sophisticated plan,' in order to steal it. The thieves passed themselves off as wealthy dealers by renting luxury cars and holding meetings in high-end hotels. They even went as far as to hire a diamond expert to authenticate the stone, said police.
'Eventually, the gang lured the merchant to a villa under the pretext of introducing him to the 'buyer,'' reads the police statement. 'Once the diamond was brought out, they nabbed it and fled.'
Nonetheless, police quickly identified three suspects, tracked them down, and arrested them, recovering the diamond before it could be smuggled out of Dubai.
The jeweler said the speed of the authorities' response was 'astonishing.'
'To my surprise, the very next morning, they called to say the suspects had been arrested and the diamond recovered,' he said in the police statement, before urging others in the diamond trade to follow official safety guidelines set by Dubai authorities.
Dubai has become a global hub for the diamond trade in recent years, partly thanks to its minimal tax demands and convenient location between producer countries in Africa and major sales markets such as India.