A suspected gang of diamond thieves who posed as potential buyers to steal a precious purple-hued diamond worth millions in Barcelona has been busted by French and Spanish police, officials say. Police in Spain’s northeast Catalonia region said on Wednesday (local time) that eight suspected members of the criminal ring were arrested in Bondy, France, near Paris. The police investigation started in Barcelona after the January 2020 robbery of the rare diamond, estimated to be worth up to €15 million (NZ$25m) according to Catalan police. The investigation later linked the suspects with the theft of another diamond worth €4.5m in Cannes, France, in August 2020. READ MORE:* Confessions of the Kim Kardashian diamond thief* Jewel thieves hit the jackpot by snatching $18m diamond* Cannes crime: Wealth of the film festival crowd draws criminal elementPolice said the thieves pretended to be interested in the purchase of the gemstones, only to switch the diamond case for a similar one after distracting the seller.

Source: Stuff February 18, 2021 18:45 UTC