Swallowed diamond revealed as ‘fake’

2.0 k views | Posted September 18, 2012 | By Dean Millard • Staff Journalist

A new twist has been revealed in the bizarre case of the Chinese diamond-swallowing thief, with authorities now believing it was a hoax to act as a diversion for an accomplice.

Jeweller reported last week that a man had been detained by Sri Lankan Police after being arrested at the country’s largest gem and jewellery trade fair for allegedly swallowing a diamond.

It is alleged that Chow Cheng, 32, was inspecting the diamond in question with another man when the exhibitor, Suresh de Silva, Director of Belgrade International gem store, noticed Cheng attempting to switch the stone with a synthetic stone. When de Silva raised the alarm, Cheng swallowed the stone while his accomplice fled the scene.

Initially it was feared Cheng would require surgery to remove the stone, which had become lodged in his throat, however a little luck, a good dose of laxatives and some patience eventually saw the stone recovered. It was here that the story took a twist.

The stone that was recovered turned out to be a fake or at least an inexpensive synthetic diamond; with police now believing Cheng was purely a distraction to allow his accomplice to escape with the more valuable natural diamond.

"The man with the real stone vanished while all the attention was on the man who was seen swallowing a stone that turned out to be fake," police spokesman Ajith Rohana told Agence France Press (AFP).

"Investigations are now underway to track down the accomplice and recover the stolen diamond. We think both of them were involved in a racket."

The alleged missing diamond is 1.5-carats and is valued at between $13,000 and $14,000.

According to de Silva, Cheng had initially offered to pay for the stone, but exhibition organisers wanted to press charges.

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Man swallows diamond at trade fair