A diamond worth an estimated $20 million that was smuggled out of the UAE in a shoe box was recovered by Dubai Police after a painstaking operation that involved trawling through CCTV and scores of people.
The 9.33-carat blue stone diamond – named ‘Brilliant’ – was stolen by a guard working with a money transfer company and given to a relative who smuggled to an Asian country, Dubai Police revealed.
The guard managed to go through multiple and complicated layers of security gates to enter the vault and carry out the theft, baffling company officials who had put detailed security measures in place.
The suspect was identified and cut off contact with all of his acquaintances, as police set about trying to locate him.
Dubai Police managed to track down the suspect in a neighbouring emirate after analysing thousands of hours of CCTV and questioning over 120 people. Police said the suspect turned off his mobile to avoid detection.
Dubai Police posted a video showing how the guard managed to steal the diamond and smuggle it out of the country:
Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-In-Chief of Dubai Police, commended the support given by Sheikh Mohammed, Ruler of Dubai, and said the operation to recover the diamond as closely followed up by Sheikh Hamdan, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Saif, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.
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