Man Involved in Chinatown Heist of S$200,000 Diamond Using Fake Substitute Gets Jail
The pair hid the real gem in a mouth swap before trying to fly home, and police recovered it at Changi Airport, court documents said.
- On Friday, July 17, a Singapore court sentenced 41-year-old Indian national Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai to two years, two months, and two weeks in jail after he pleaded guilty to stealing a 4.95-carat diamond worth nearly $200,000 from a Chinatown jewellery store.
- Before the theft, Mangroliya and accomplice Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, 30, commissioned a counterfeit diamond in Surat, India, designed to match the target stone's specifications, then executed the swap at Dianoche on June 19.
- Authorities arrested both men at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 8:50 pm on June 19 while attempting to board a flight to India, and officers recovered the genuine diamond from Serasiya's haversack after reviewing store CCTV footage.
- Following Mangroliya's guilty plea, the case against his alleged accomplice Serasiya is scheduled for a hearing on Friday, with prosecutors having flagged the premeditated nature of the theft as an aggravating factor.
- Under Singapore law, theft in a building carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment and a fine, with prosecutors leaving the final sentencing for the remaining defendant to the court's discretion.
21 Articles
21 Articles
He and his partner had planned the theft in advance, and the fake diamond was identical to the original in size, characteristics, and even serial number.
In Singapore, two Indian tourists tried to steal a 4.95 carat diamond, worth 135,000 euros, from a jewelry store in Chinatown. Thanks to a replica ordered in India, they exchanged the stone...
Indian steals Rs 1.48-crore diamond in Singapore, hides it in mouth; jailed
A Singapore court jailed an Indian tourist after a failed diamond swap at a Chinatown jewellery store. The case centres on an alleged plan involving a counterfeit gem, CCTV footage and an airport arrest.
A Singapore court has sentenced an Indian tourist to two years, two months, and two weeks in prison after he conspired to swap real diamonds worth S$199,000 with fake ones, with one accomplice hiding the real diamonds in their mouth before fleeing.
Two Indian tourists were accused of exchanging a real diamond valued at about $200,000 (approximately R$1 million) for a replica in a jewelry store in Chinatown, Singapore. According to judicial documents, the crime occurred on Sunday (19) at the Dianoche store on Kreta Ayer Street. Hours later, the duo was arrested while trying to board back to India at Changi Airport, where the original diamond was found in the backpack of one of the suspects.
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