Diamonds. Drawing. - Carmule / Pixabay

  • Three people will be tried in early March in Castres, in the Tarn, for the theft of three diamonds worth more than one million euros, in August 2017 in Mazamet.
  • Among them is a "thief with golden hands", so nicknamed for his skill.

The trial is scheduled for March 3, in Castres, in the Tarn. Three people will be tried for the theft of three diamonds estimated at more than one million euros, which occurred in August 2017 in the neighboring city of Mazamet. After months of investigation, the investigators of the research section of the gendarmerie, based in Toulouse, had found the trace of the crooks, of Romanian nationality.

The couple of fake buyers were arrested in October 2017 in Nice, their accomplice the following month in Modane, in Savoie, in possession of a fake diamond. He was to receive 50,000 euros for the flight.

He presented himself as an expert commissioned by the buyers from a gemstone dealer in Mazamet who presented him with the diamonds, the property of an Indian, Nishit Shah. The precious stones had been placed in a sealed box in the seller's possession until he received a bank transfer of $ 1.1 million.

A known procedure for European police

The next day, in the absence of transfer to his account, the merchant had opened the box, empty. The diamonds had been stolen at the meeting the day before. "It is a classic process, this is called a thief with golden hands, international experts gifted to steal valuables," said a source close to the investigation, AFP said. which these procedures are known to European police.

A traveler arrested with 800 grams of rough diamonds in his underwear https://t.co/sqcVWFmMt9 pic.twitter.com/D1VNp448vy

- 20 Minutes (@ 20Minutes) January 19, 2017

This meeting at Mazamet was the third between the different parties, after two first meetings, in April 2017 at a diamond show in Monaco then in June in Milan. The Romanian couple presented themselves, under a false name, as wealthy Armenians eager to invest in precious stones. During their arrest, watches and luxury cars, worth 150,000 euros, had been found at their home. The couple traded fake and real jewelry and often paid with fake bills.

The always wanted sponsor

The sponsor of the swindle, a Serb living in the Paris region, has not yet been arrested. An international arrest warrant has been issued. His house in Bondy, estimated at 700,000 euros, was seized.

The victim, the Indian merchant, will not be at trial. He died in 2018 of a heart attack in Bombay.

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