Chinese Nationals Who Swapped Diamond With a Fake Caught in Mumbai

Representational image of a prison.

(Photo: iStock)

On Monday, two Chinese nationals in Mumbai replaced real diamond jewellery with a fake one at Mumbai’s India International Jewellery Show, as Hindustan Times reported.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) acted swiftly and managed to arrest them at the Mumbai airport.

The Rs 34 lakh diamond was discovered stashed inside a shampoo bottle.

On 31 July, at 3:45 pm, Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) informed us that two Chinese nationals, while trying to strike a deal, cleverly switched and replaced a diamond piece weighing 5.4 carats, approximately costing Rs 34 lakhs, with a fake piece.

CISF Official 

When the information was received, the CISF along with council members spread out in the hall to locate the Chinese nationals and prevent them from leaving. Their photos were also taken from the council’s registration office and given to all the gates for identification.

The CCTV footage showed that they had already made their way out of the venue.

Once it was established that they had left, their passport details, registration details and photographs were taken from the council and sent to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Mumbai and CISF’s airport incharge. 

Immigration officials located the two who were on their way to board Air India flight AI 314 from Mumbai to Osaka via Delhi-Hong Kong that was to depart at 7:45 pm.

It was found that there were not carrying any check-in luggage and only two small shaving-kit-sized bags were in their possession. The individuals had also changed their clothes from what they were wearing at the exhibition.

Because the diamond was small, the X-ray machine could not detect it and they were interrogated with the help of a Chinese interpreter after being deplaned.

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