Indian Tourists Arrested for Diamond Theft at Singapore's Changi Airport

Two Indian tourists Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, and Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, 30, were arrested at Changi Airport when they were clearing immigration. This happened on June 19. The duo reached Singapore from India on June 19 on social visit passes. But they had a plan in place. They were targeting a specific diamond at a specific shop. It was Dianochge Diamonds Jewelry on Kreta Ayer Road in Chinatown. It is not known how they came to know about this particular shop or a specific diamond in the shop but they came prepared with a counterfeit diamond which was commissioned to be made in Surat. It had the same specifications and the same serial number. When the duo entered the shop, one of them, Serasiya, had the counterfeit gem in his mouth. They expressed interest in purchasing diamonds from that shop. But they asked the manager to show them something else, for which the manager had to leave the space. It was then that Serasiya spat out the fake diamond and took the real one and hid it in his mouth. They did not purchase anything. The diamond that they stole was a 4.95-carat diamond valued at $154,000 (US)/ $199,000 (Singapore). The spitting and swapping act was, however, caught on CCTV footage, and the manager examined the diamond they kept in place of the real one and called it fake. After leaving the store, Mangroliya and Serasiya checked out of their hotel and booked a flight to India. They were caught at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at around 9pm that night.

The stolen diamond was recovered from them when they were arrested at the airport. On July 17, Mangroliya was sentenced to two years, two months and two weeks in jail after pleading guilty to one count of theft. During sentencing, State Prosecuting Officer Yip Cheng Yee argued that the offence was carefully planned and executed. Prosecutors said the accused had travelled to Singapore specifically to commit the theft, had arranged for a counterfeit diamond beforehand and acted together in an effort to avoid detection. In mitigation, Mangroliya told the court through an interpreter that he has two children in India and appealed for a lighter sentence. The case against the second accused, Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, is scheduled to be heard on Friday. Under Singapore law, theft in a building carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.