Young girl believed to have stolen high-value diamond ornament last Christmas at MBS

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Young girl believed to have stolen high-value diamond ornament last Christmas at MBS

Published on Jan 25, 2015 7:33 PM
By Joanna Seow

[video=youtube;P8lPYyHx8iY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8lPYyHx8iY[/video]

SINGAPORE - A young girl allegedly swiped a diamond ornament worth several hundred thousand dollars from a shop at Marina Bay Sands on Christmas night last year.

Evening daily Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday that a man and a woman, with a girl who looked around age 10 in tow, had entered the Bulgari store in Marina Bay Sands. They behaved like a family.

But while they were there, the girl allegedly swiped a diamond ornament worth several hundred thousand dollars from a display case.

She was caught on CCTV kneeling in front of the case and appeared to reach for something, while the man and woman were talking to shop staff.

The Police confirmed that a theft had occurred in the building along Bayfront Avenue and they had been called in at 11.08 pm on Christmas night. Investigations are ongoing.

Shopowners in Marina Bay Sands were issued letters from the Police alerting them to a theft of high-value jewellery.

Just last Friday in Hong Kong, a girl believed to be aged between 12 and 14 unlocked a case in Emperor Jewellery shop in the 1881 Heritage shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.

She reportedly stole a 100-carat gold necklace embedded with diamonds, worth HK$36 million (S$6.2 million), while two women and a man distracted shop staff.

The modus operandi also bore similarities to an incident in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 16 last year. Three women and a girl, who appeared around 10 years old, made off with a RM5.2 million (S$1.9 million) yellow diamond ring.

 

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Pictures of alleged suspects in MBS theft emerge

AsiaOne Monday, Jan 26, 2015

SINGAPORE - Pictures have emerged of the trio who allegedly stole a diamond ornament from a shop at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on Christmas night last year.

Closed-circuit television footage of a couple and a girl were published by Chinese evening daily, Shin Min Daily News on Monday evening.

In the footage, the girl, who is believed to be about 10 years old, is seen wearing a pink and white dress, with a dark-coloured bag slung in front of her.

She was earlier seen walking into the shop with a couple who looked to be in their 30s and 40s, and they appeared to behave like a family. The man was wearing a collared shirt in white and grey, while the woman had long hair and was wearing a striped blouse, and carrying a dark-coloured bag.

Shin Min also identified Bulgari as the MBS shop where the theft occurred. Bulgari is a high-end luxury story which retails in gemstone jewellery, luxury watches, perfumes and leather goods. The stolen item, which was previously reported as a diamond ornament worth several hundred thousands, was identified as a diamond ring worth at least $1.8 million.

The evening daily also described the couple's modus operandi. They walked into the store, asking to be shown some jewellery. The woman also spoke to a member of the staff in an excited manner, a tactic believed to distract the employee. In another part of the store, another sales staff was attending to other customers, while the girl with the couple roamed unsupervised in the store.

When no one was noticing, the girl slipped to the back of a display case, where store employees would be stationed. CCTV footage showed that she squatted down and was hidden from view by the display case as her hand could be seen reaching into the drawer.

Shin Min estimated that the diamond ring is between 8 and 9 carats, and is a grade D, internally flawless diamond.

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