Disguised as a jeweler... UK police catch thief swapping stones for diamonds

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A woman who disguised herself as a jeweler and swapped diamonds with stones, stealing diamonds worth ?4.2 million (about 6.5 billion KRW), has been indicted and stood trial.

On the 20th (local time), according to the British daily The Guardian, the trial of Lulu Lakatosh (60), who was charged with stealing seven diamonds, was held at the Southwark Crown Court in London.

Lakatosh is accused of entering the basement of a jeweler in London on March 10, 2016, disguised as a jeweler, and stealing seven diamonds.

She put the diamonds into a locked packaging bag, placed it back into her handbag, then gave the jeweler's employee a bag of the same shape containing stones of similar size to the diamonds, and fled.

It was revealed that there was also meticulous prior collusion.

The jeweler owner, Nicholas Wainwright (73), met with an Israeli who approached him as an investor interested in purchasing high-value jewelry in 2016 and agreed on a diamond transaction.

Lakatosh disguised herself as a jeweler sent by this Israeli and promised a prior visit, which allowed her to avoid the jeweler owner's suspicion.

The jeweler owner did not notice at first, but only after a long time, when he opened the bag with a jeweler affiliated appraiser, did he realize he had been deceived.

Even though they took an X-ray of the locked packaging bag, they did not suspect because the contents looked like diamonds.

Among the stolen diamonds was a 20-carat heart-shaped diamond worth ?2.2 million (about 3.45 billion KRW).

Lakatosh was arrested in France last November and extradited to the UK.

Two of the accomplices have already been convicted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.