A Chinese man named Wu Youquan was arrested for attempting to exchange a diamond ring worth SG$318,000 (US$237,000) for a fake one at a Tiffany & Co store in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
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A gloved hand picking up jewelry. Photo illustration by Freepik |
The 44-year-old man admitted to the theft and was sentenced to 40 months in prison on Friday, as reported by South China Morning Post.
Wu revealed in court that in October last year he was lured by another Chinese national named Chen Hanbo via WeChat, offering him a “quick and high-paying job”. This job involved replacing a real diamond ring at a high-end jewelry store with an imitation. The exact amount of the payment was not made clear to Wu, but he was promised a reasonable amount.
According to Strait Times, Wu traveled to Singapore alone on November 1, 2023, with his trip financed by Chen. His task was to go to the Tiffany & Co. store in Marina Bay Sands, find the most expensive diamond ring and photograph it.
After returning to China and sending Chen a photo of a 3.18-carat diamond ring, Wu received a counterfeit ring from Chen in the mail. On November 20, 2023, he returned to Singapore and revisited the same store. Wu distracted the store team leader and changed the rings.
His plan fell apart when the manager noticed the price of the fake ring was different. As a store employee was about to search him, Wu took the real ring out of his pocket and begged for mercy. He was then arrested.
A Singaporean prosecutor suggested to the court a minimum of 42 months in prison for Wu. Under Singaporean law, anyone guilty of residential theft faces up to seven years in prison and a fine.
