2 Chinese nationals swap diamond at jewellery exhibition, arrested at Mumbai airport

The diamond, worth Rs34 lakh, was recovered from a bottle of shampoo.

Two Chinese nationals, on Monday, managed to replace a piece of diamond jewellery with a fake one at Mumbai’s India International Jewellery Show. However, swift action by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) led to their arrest at Mumbai airport.

Picture for representation

The diamond, worth Rs34 lakh, was recovered from a bottle of shampoo.

The CISF later also provided security at the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS)-2017, which was being held at Bombay Exhibition Center, Goregaon.

“On July 31, 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 Rs34 lakhs, with a fake piece,” said a CISF official.

As soon as the information was received, a combined team of CISF personnel and council members spread out in the hall to locate the Chinese nationals and prevent them from exiting the venue. Meanwhile, their photographs were also taken from the council registration office and provided at all the gates.

“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,” the official added.

On the basis of the information, the immigration officials were able to detect the two Chinese nationals who were to board Air India flight AI 314 from Mumbai to Osaka via Delhi-Hongkong scheduled 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,” the officer said.

Because the size of the diamond was small, the X-ray machine could not detect it and therefore, they were then interrogated with the help of a Chinese interpreter, after being off-loaded from the plane.

During interrogation, they revealed that the diamond was concealed in a small shampoo bottle, which was subsequently recovered.