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Hours after it starts, Hong Kong jewellery fair hit with two thefts worth more than HK$500,000

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The Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair was the site of two thefts today, this after yesterday's attempted swap of a fake diamond for a real one for which this female suspect was escorted by police. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A necklace and two bags of pearls, worth more than HK$500,000 in total, were stolen in two thefts reported on the first day of the international jewellery show in Hong Kong yesterday, according to police.

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The thefts transpired at the AsiaWorld-Expo venue of the annual Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair in Lantau.

The first case happened about four hours after the show opened yesterday. Staff from one exhibitor found a female visitor from the mainland stealing a necklace worth US$60,000 from a booth at about 2pm. Staff gave chase when the woman left the booth, according to police.

“Officers on site intercepted the woman and recovered the stolen property. The 23-year-old woman was arrested for theft,” a police spokesman said.

About an hour later, police received the other report of theft after two bags of pearls, worth HK$60,000, were stolen from another booth.

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Police are treating the case as theft, and detectives from the New Territories South regional crime unit are investigating.

Separately yesterday, a suspected thief from the mainland was arrested in possession of a fake diamond that police believed she intended to swap for a real gem less than an hour before the show opened.

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