Diamond smile: Singapore jails Indian man for gem in mouth theft

A Singapore court sentenced an Indian tourist to more than two years in jail over a failed bid to steal a diamond by hiding it in his accomplice’s mouth.

Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, and his accomplice visited a jewellery store in Singapore’s Chinatown on June 19 with their eyes on a 4.95-carat diamond worth $154,000, according to court documents seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Mangroliya distracted the shop manager while his partner, 30-year-old Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, allegedly swapped the diamond with a fake hidden in his mouth, local media reported.

The two men then left the store without buying anything, with Serasiya now carrying the real stone in his mouth. The theft was caught on surveillance camera, and the pair were arrested at the airport later that day – with the stolen gem recovered from one of their bags.

Mangroliya was sentenced to two years, two months and two weeks in jail after pleading guilty last week, court papers said. Serasiya is in remand and scheduled for a hearing on Friday.

The pair reportedly arranged for a counterfeit diamond — matching the real gem’s specifications and serial number — to be made in India before travelling to Singapore. It is unclear how they obtained the diamond’s details in advance.

Earlier this month, jewellery worth millions of euros was stolen in a burglary at the museum of French luxury glassmaker Lalique, the company and an investigation source said.

The thief or thieves broke into the museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in northeastern France around 5:30am (8:30am PKT) and headed straight for the jewellery room, the source close to the investigation said.

“Around twenty pieces of jewellery were stolen. The loss is currently being assessed but could amount to several million euros, likely close to four million,” the source said.

The museum said on its website that it will be closed for several days because of the burglary. “An alarm went off, but by the time the security company had completed its checks, it was a cleaning lady who arrived first on the scene and called the police,” the investigation source added. The CCTV footage is currently being examined. ...