Three Romanians to stand trial in France for stealing diamonds worth EUR 1 mln

Three Romanians who allegedly managed to steal diamonds worth EUR 1 million from a French jeweller in a movie-like robbery will stand trial in France, local Agerpres reported, quoting France 24. The trial is set to start on March 3.

The Romanians are believed to be members of a network of jewelry thieves operating across Europe. They are accused of stealing three diamonds from a French jeweller based in the small town of Mazamet, who was acting as an intermediary for an Indian gem trader.

The plan of the entire theft, which happened in August 2017, was quite complicated. Two of the suspects met the jeweller at a diamond trade fair in Monaco four months before the theft, when they introduced themselves as a wealthy Armenian couple looking to invest in precious gems. A second meeting took place in Milan and then the supposed buyers and the jeweller met again in Mazamet in August, when they said they want to have an independent expert examine the diamonds owned by the Indian trader.

Once the deal was concluded, the French jeweller put the gems in a sealed box, waiting for the bank transfer of EUR 1 million. The transfer was not made so the jeweller decided to check the box the next day, only to find it empty.

“It's a classic technique, what we call a thief with golden hands -- international experts with a talent for swiping valuables," a source close to the inquiry explained.

The two Romanians posing as possible buyers were arrested a few weeks later in Nice, while the supposed expert, who is also Romanian, was arrested in November 2017 in a village in the French Alps on the border with Italy.

(Photo source: ID 73019493 © Victor Moussa - Dreamstime.com)