Chinese Gang On The Prowl

By Indika Sri Aravinda

An organized group of Chinese criminals are carrying out gem and jewellery robberies in Sri Lanka, police sources said.
The group, which was involved in a robbery where a man swallowed a Rs. 1.8 million diamond last week, had previously stolen a ring worth Rs. 300,000 from a shopping mall in Colombo a few days before, sources added.
The owner of the stolen diamond said that the man had swallowed a fake diamond, and that an accomplice has gotten away with the real stone.
“The man agreed to pay for the stone, but the Gem and Jewellery Association insisted on taking legal action against the man,” Suresh de Silva, owner of the missing diamond said. However it is learnt that the man had told the police that he had swallowed only an imitation diamond.  The police said that he had eight imitation diamonds with him at the time of arrest.