Dubai Police intercepted the attempted theft of a 21.25-carat, pink diamond valued at $25 million, responding rapidly to the crime after the victim reported it.
Acting on a tip, authorities arrested three suspects within eight hours of the trader calling in the crime and successfully recovered the stone before the suspects smuggled it out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a post on the Dubai Police’s X account on Monday. The suspects, all of which were of Asian nationality, had spent more than a year planning the heist under a scheme codenamed “Operation Pink Diamond.”
The plot involved posing as intermediaries for a wealthy buyer. The gang rented luxury vehicles, booked five-star hotels and even employed a genuine gem expert to convince the jeweler to bring the diamond out of secure storage for a viewing.
Police forces from the General Department of Criminal Investigations used advanced surveillance and tracking tools to locate and arrest the perpetrators after they dispersed to different hideouts. Authorities discovered the diamond hidden inside a small refrigerator, prepared for transport abroad.
The merchant, who had imported the gem from Europe, praised the quick police response, noting that officers arrived within minutes of his call and kept him informed throughout the operation.