Mainland man arrested after HK$3m diamond 'is swapped with fake' at jewellery show

A mainland man was arrested after he allegedly tried to switch a five-carat diamond worth more than HK$3 million with a fake at the city's biggest international jewellery show yesterday.

The 41-year-old was the fifth mainland man arrested since the Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair opened at the AsiaWorld-Expo on Monday. The previous four cases involved jewels valued at HK$3.78 million in total.

"All five suspects came from Hunan province," a police source said. "We are still investigating whether they worked for the same gang."

The source said most mainland jewellery thieves arrested in the city were from Hunan.

"We believe they are trained to commit such crimes before coming to Hong Kong to steal," he said. "They usually work in a group of three or four, including lookouts and others who distract staff while the thieves strike."

Police were called in yesterday after the mainlander was stopped by a staff member at one of the booths at about noon.

The suspect had been posing as a buyer and asked staff to show him some diamonds, police said.