Two of three suspected gem thieves identified

Two of the three suspected diamond thieves have been identified as Georgian nationals and the Cyprus police are to request Interpol and Europol alerts, the force said on Wednesday.

The police detailed that they have issued arrest warrants for a 43-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man accused of stealing a five-carat diamond valued at €180,000.

The force added that they cannot rule out that the suspects may have escaped the island by crossing through the north. They added that efforts are still underway to identify the third suspect.

The case broke on Monday and on Tuesday the Cyprus Mail reported that the police are on the hunt for three Russian-speaking gem thieves.

CCTV footage showed the suspected diamond thieves – two men and a woman – entering a Yermasogeia jewellery shop on Monday at 4pm. They all wore sunglasses, and one man wore a baseball cap. The woman seen has bleached blond hair.

A police spokesman detailed that the heist was centred on a perfectly executed sleight of hand.

He said that the trio entered the shop with one of the male suspects asking the jeweller to place the €180,000 diamond on a white piece of paper for it to be inspected.

While the male suspect was inspecting the diamond, the other two distracted the shop owner and it appears that the real diamond was swapped with a fake.

It is understood that one of the male suspects had previously staked out the shop, having entered and asked to view the diamond. Andreou said that perhaps the suspect previously viewed the diamond to then create a copy to trick the dealer with.

The suspects allegedly then purchased a €400 gold chain and left without “buying” the diamond. The jeweller became suspicious, tested the gemstone and discovered the scam.