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Sri Lankan diamond saga: Swallowed gem was fake
Source: Agencies |
September 12, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SRI Lanka's diamond-swallowing saga took an unexpected turn yesterday when police revealed the stone swallowed by a visitor at a gem exhibition was a fake and they are searching for the real stone valued at US$13,000.
Police arrested Chou Wan, 32, after a gem owner complained the man had swallowed his 1.5 carat diamond at a jewelry show in Colombo last week. An X-ray taken at a hospital showed the diamond and Chou was given a laxative so the gem could be recovered. The National Gem and Jewelry Authority, which regulates the gem industry, then was asked to inspect the diamond concerned.
The authority informed police the diamond Chou swallowed was fake and had no financial value. Investigators suspect another Chinese man seen with Chou may have the real diamond worth 1.8 million Sri Lankan rupees (US$13,636).
Exhibitor Suresh Wijekoon said the two Chinese men were behaving suspiciously at his stalls and he suspected they were trying to switch fake stones to steal the real diamonds. He said one man swallowed a diamond before he alerted the police while the other ran away.
Police arrested Chou Wan, 32, after a gem owner complained the man had swallowed his 1.5 carat diamond at a jewelry show in Colombo last week. An X-ray taken at a hospital showed the diamond and Chou was given a laxative so the gem could be recovered. The National Gem and Jewelry Authority, which regulates the gem industry, then was asked to inspect the diamond concerned.
The authority informed police the diamond Chou swallowed was fake and had no financial value. Investigators suspect another Chinese man seen with Chou may have the real diamond worth 1.8 million Sri Lankan rupees (US$13,636).
Exhibitor Suresh Wijekoon said the two Chinese men were behaving suspiciously at his stalls and he suspected they were trying to switch fake stones to steal the real diamonds. He said one man swallowed a diamond before he alerted the police while the other ran away.
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