Theft of diamond worth Rs 1.5 crore in Singapore: Fake diamond was made in Surat, CCTV revealed secrets

A very vicious and filmy conspiracy to steal a precious real diamond worth about Rs 1.5 crore has finally been exposed in Singapore. One of the two Indian nationals involved in this high-profile theft case has been sentenced to two years, two months and two weeks in jail by a Singapore court, while the verdict on the sentence of the other accused will be pronounced on Friday. 41 year old Mangrolia Manojkumar Kurjibhai confessed his crime before the court, after which he was found guilty and sentenced. At the same time, his other accomplice, 30-year-old Serasia Milan Ramnikbhai, is also facing this legal process.

Fake diamond was prepared in Surat, conspiracy was hatched in Singapore

A very shocking revelation has come to light in the police investigation that both the accused had prepared the entire plan of this sensational theft in India. Both of them met each other through a common acquaintance and reached Singapore on a social visit pass. Before leaving for Singapore, they had got an exact fake diamond made in Surat, the famous diamond city of Gujarat, whose size, weight and visual characteristics exactly matched the real 4.95 carat diamond which they were trying to steal.

Their plot was a perfect one—one accused would distract the shop salesman, while the other would quietly replace the real diamond with a fake one and hide it in his mouth.

This is how the incident was carried out in the jewelery showroom.

On June 19, 2026, both the accused reached Singapore via Changi Airport. The same day at noon, he went straight to the ‘Dianoche Jewellery’ showroom located in Chinatown area. There he demanded to be shown a brilliant 4.95 carat diamond worth approximately 1.54 lakh US dollars i.e. approximately Rs 1.5 crore in Indian currency.

As soon as the sales manager came in front of him with the diamond, Manoj Kumar engaged him in conversation and asked him to show other jewellery. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Milan took out the fake diamond he had hidden in his mouth and secretly replaced it with the real diamond kept on the counter. He hid the real diamond in his mouth. After this, both of them walked out of the showroom like ordinary customers saying that they will think about it and let you know.

A machine and CCTV changed the whole game

Both the clever thieves probably had no idea that their every action was being captured in the high-tech CCTV cameras installed in the showroom. After his departure, when the sales manager became suspicious, he immediately examined the diamond with an optical gemstone identification machine. In the blink of an eye, the machine revealed that the diamond kept on the counter was fake. After this, the police was immediately informed about this and the CCTV footage of the showroom was started.

Accused caught in such clutches from hotel to Changi Airport

After committing this theft, both the accused immediately returned to their hotel, checked out from there before the scheduled time and also booked their flight to return to India the same evening. But his escape plan could not succeed. At around 8:50 pm, when they were trying to cross immigration at Terminal 3 of Changi Airport, the alert police caught them. When a search was conducted, the real stolen diamond was recovered from Milan’s bag.

Asked for mercy in court, strict laws of Singapore

During the hearing, the government lawyer told the court that this was not an ordinary theft, but a well-planned international criminal conspiracy hatched months ago. Preparing fake diamonds in India, going abroad and committing the crime and then immediately trying to flee the country clearly states the seriousness of this crime.

On the other hand, accused Manoj Kumar, through a translator, appealed to the court for leniency, saying that he has two small children in India and the entire family is dependent on him. Let us tell you that the laws regarding theft inside any business premises in Singapore are very strict. If found guilty in such cases, the punishment can be up to seven years in jail, heavy fine or both. This entire case proves once again that no matter how vicious the plan is, despite modern technology, CCTV surveillance and swift police action, it cannot escape the long hand of the law.