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Tourist, 41, gets jail for stealing S$200,000 diamond from Chinatown store, hid it in partner's mouth
They were arrested at Changi Airport Terminal 3 within three hours of a police report by the store.
Gracia Yap
July 20, 2026, 06:48 PM
Images via SPF
A 41-year-old Indian national was sentenced on Jul. 17, 2026, to two years, two months and two weeks' jail after he worked with another Indian national to steal a diamond worth nearly S$200,000 from a Chinatown jewellery store.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai and 30-year-old Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai were tourists who arrived in Singapore on Jun. 19.
Mangroliya had earlier pleaded guilty to a theft charge and Serasiya's case is pending.
Visited store
Prior to Jun. 19, both men had planned to steal the diamond from Dianoche jewellery store at Kreta Ayer Road in Chinatown.
ST reported that court documents did not state how the pair knew about the diamond.
The pair had commissioned a counterfeit diamond in India that matched its specifications and serial number.
After arriving in Singapore on Jun. 19, they visited the store at around 3pm.
Hid diamond in mouth
Serasiya hid the fake diamond in his mouth while Mangroliya asked to view a 4.95-carat diamond worth over S$199,000.
A sales manager at the store had to leave his seat multiple times after Mangroliya said he wanted to view several other items.
ST reported State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Yip Cheng Yee as saying that Mangroliya then told Serasiya to swop the fake diamond in his mouth with the real one.
Serasiya spat out the fake diamond and then hid the real one in his mouth.
The pair left the store after Mangroliya told the manager they would consider the purchase.
After their actions were caught on the store's CCTV camera, the manager examined the diamond with an optical gemstone identification machine and confirmed it was a counterfeit.
An earlier report noted that through follow-up investigations, ground enquiries, and with the aid of images from CCTV and police cameras, officers from the Central Police Division and Police Operations Command Centre established the identities of the two men.
Arrested at airport
They were later caught at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at around 9pm on the same night, having booked a flight back to India.
Local authorities arrested them when they were attempting to clear immigration.
Officers then recovered the genuine diamond from Serasiya's haversack, ST reported.
If convicted of theft, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
