Sri Lankan stall owner Suresh de Silva shows a 1.5
carot diamond which is similar to a stone a Chinese man stole from him at the
start of a gem and jewellery exhibition in Colombo.
AFP
Monday, Nov 05, 2012
COLOMBO - A Chinese man who swallowed a fake stone in
a daring bluff that allowed an accomplice to get away with a real diamond
pleaded guilty Monday to aiding theft and was given a fine and two-year
suspended jail term.
Colombo chief magistrate Rashmi Singappuli ordered the
32-year-old man to pay 100,000 rupees (US$770) over the incident in September
when he swallowed the fake stone at an annual gem exhibition.
After the stallholder alerted the police, the Chinese
man was arrested but when he passed the stone three days later it was revealed
to be fake and investigations found the real thief had got away with a diamond
worth US$13,600.
Police said the accomplice has yet to be found.
Photographs showed the captured man, dressed in a
black shirt and jeans with his head bowed, being escorted from the exhibition
centre by uniformed policemen.
He was taken to hospital for X-rays and given
laxatives before being held in custody until his trial.
