Man involved in Chinatown heist of S$200,000 diamond using fake substitute gets jail
While the offender distracted a staff member, his alleged partner swapped the genuine diamond with a counterfeit they had obtained and concealed the real gem in his mouth.
The genuine diamond was recovered, and the suspects were arrested at Changi Airport Terminal 3. (Photo: Singapore Police Force)
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SINGAPORE: Two men travelled to Singapore after hatching a plan to steal a diamond worth about S$200,000 (US$154,000) from a store in Chinatown while replacing it with a counterfeit they had made in advance.
While one of the men distracted a staff member, the other swapped the genuine 4.95-carat diamond with the counterfeit and concealed the real gem in his mouth.
The pair was caught before they could leave Singapore.
One of them, Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, was sentenced to two years, two months and two weeks jail on Friday (Jul 17), after he pleaded guilty to one count of theft.
The case against his alleged partner-in-crime, Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, 30, is fixed for a hearing on Friday.
Both Indian nationals met through a mutual friend and travelled to Singapore on social passes.
Before travelling to Singapore, the pair had commissioned a counterfeit diamond in Surat, India, made to match the targeted diamond’s specifications and serial number. Court documents did not explain how they obtained these details beforehand.
The plan was for Mangroliya to engage and distract the store’s sales manager while Milan would replace the genuine stone with the counterfeit one hidden in his mouth.
The pair entered Singapore via Changi Airport on Jun 19, 2026 with the intention of stealing the 4.95-carat diamond, valued at US$154,000, from jewellery store Dianoche in Chinatown.
They entered the store at about 3pm and asked to view the gemstone.
Mangroliya then distracted the sales manager by asking to view several items around the shop. When he directed Milan to execute the swap, the latter spat out the fake diamond and swapped it with the real gem.
He concealed the real stone in his mouth. However his actions were captured on closed-circuit television cameras.
Mangroliya then told the sales manager they would consider the purchase before the duo left.
After their departure, the sales manager examined the diamond using an optical gemstone identification machine and found it to be a counterfeit.
Meanwhile, the pair returned to their hotel, checked out ahead of schedule and booked a flight to India departing at 6.30pm that evening.
However, they were arrested at about 8.50pm at Changi Airport Terminal 3 while attempting to clear immigration. The genuine diamond was recovered from Milan’s haversack.
Mangroliya was charged on Jun 20, and has since remained in remand.
The prosecution left the jail term to the court, with State Prosecuting Officer Yip Cheng Yee highlighting several aggravating factors, including how the duo had entered Singapore purely to commit the offence.
“The offence was premeditated and involved a degree of planning. The accused commissioned a counterfeit diamond and worked in concert with (Milan) to carry out the offence and to avoid detection,” Ms Yip said.
In mitigation, Mangroliya said through an interpreter that he had two children in India and requested a “smaller punishment”.
For theft in a building, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
Source: CNA/wt
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