Thieves steal £570k worth of diamonds from Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair

Some £570,000 (HK $6.9m) worth of jewellery – mostly diamonds – has been stolen in a string of thefts at the Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair, according to reports from a Chinese newspaper. 

The South China Morning Post reported that 17 thefts took place over the four-day show – held from June 25 to 28 – with three people arrested for the theft of a £68,000 (HK $830,000) diamond on the opening day of the fair.

Police were initially called in on Friday evening after a worker at one of the booths became suspicious about a diamond he had on show. After reviewing security camera footage the 43-year-old-man realised that two people had approached the booth to replace the genuine piece with a fake.

It is believed that on the show’s opening day alone, 12 thefts of diamonds and other jewels were reported, with an estimated total value of £413,000 (HK$5 million).

On the third day of the show a bag of diamonds worth around £38,000 (HK$460,000) was reported to have gone missing.

Five women and two men arrested over the thefts will appear in Hong Kong’s Eastern Court this week on charges of theft or attempted theft.