A $25 million pink diamond that was stolen in a sophisticated robbery in Dubai has been recovered by police just hours later.
The "extremely" rare diamond was stolen from a jeweler by thieves who posed as middlemen for a potential buyer, Dubai Police said in a statement on Monday.
Weighing 21.25 carats, the large diamond "boasts exceptional clarity, symmetry and polish," and has a unique clarity rating, according to police.
Being so rare, it became an attractive target for the gang, who, according to police, had been working for more than a year to obtain the stone. After tracking the diamond’s arrival in Dubai from Europe, the gang devised a “sophisticated plan” to steal it. The thieves posed as wealthy businessmen, renting luxury cars and holding meetings in luxury hotels. They even hired a diamond expert to authenticate the stone, police said.
“Finally, the gang lured the dealer to a villa under the pretext of introducing him to the ‘buyer,’” the police statement said. “Once the diamond was removed, they kidnapped him and fled.”
However, police quickly identified three suspects, pursued and arrested them, recovering the diamond before it could be smuggled out of Dubai.
The jeweler said the speed of the authorities' response was "astonishing."
“To my surprise, the next morning I received a call to say that the suspects had been arrested and the diamond had been recovered,” he said in the police statement, before calling on others in the diamond trade to follow official safety guidelines set out by Dubai authorities.
Dubai has become a global hub for the diamond trade in recent years, thanks in part to minimal tax requirements and a convenient location between producing countries in Africa and major sales markets such as India.
