14 DAY TRIAL // A British tourist has been arrested in Australia after allegedly stealing and swallowing an extremely rare pink diamond.
According to The Inquisitr, the incident occurred last weekend when the tourist snatched the rare rock from a jewelry store in the northern city of Cairns. Keith Bird, the owner of The Diamond Gallery store, told police that the thief took the pink diamond out of his hands and then escaped on a mountain bike.
Australian police arrested the suspected thief, Matthew Osborne, at Melbourne airport while he was preparing to board a flight to New Zealand.
The 29-year-old man appeared in a Cairns court after being accused of entering premises and stealing the Argyle diamond, whose value has been estimated at 250,000 Australian dollars (approximately US $200,000 / €160,000).
Although the detectives caught the thief, they have not recovered the rare gem yet, as the results of the X-rays were inconclusive.
“The X-rays are inconclusive at this time. They haven’t shown that the diamond has been swallowed, so we are making some follow-up inquiries,” Senior Sergeant Greg Giles said.
However, even the jeweler doubts the suspect swallowed the diamond.
“If he thought he’d got away with it, why would you sit at the Melbourne airport and swallow it, and if you have to go to the loo on a flight to New Zealand? That would be a bit dangerous. If he’s not going to confess where the stone is, he’s going to do some serious time,” he said.
Investigations are continuing and authorities are also considering the possibility that the pink diamond was sent overseas.
The diamond is only 0.31 carat and measures 4.3 millimeters (0.16 inches) in diameter, but it’s so valuable because of its color. The item had been on display in the store for nine years, said the owner.