Diamonds anyone?

[airlana]

This story today in Australia's "Courier Mail"

GANG SNATCHES 51 CARAT DIAMOND

From: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Bangkok
February 20, 2006

A FOREIGN criminal gang suspected of carrying out several heists has snatched a 51-carat diamond from the up-market Siam Paragon shopping mall in the Thai capital.

The thieves were able to lift a necklace containing the diamond worth five million baht ($A172,000) on Saturday from an improperly locked cabinet at a jewellery store while the clerk was distracted, police said.
The gang – six men and one woman from the Middle East – is wanted for thefts in several other countries, said police Lieutenant Colonel Akhom Janthalach.

"The police will have clear sketches of the suspects today with records from video cameras at the shop before arrest warrants would be issued for those thieves," he said.

Lt-Col Akhom said police have already met with immigration authorities to help prevent the suspects from leaving the country.

No sign of this story on Bangkok Post - maybe tomorrows edition.

Are jewellery and gold shops still a prime target for the robbers?
There was a spate of robberies in the early 1980's

airlana

[ncr]

The Nation is carrying this (http://203.154.97.18/breaking/read.php?lang=en&newsid=113618) in the "breaking news" section:

Police hunt for four foreigners

Arrest warrants have been issued for four foreigners suspected of stealing a diamond necklace worth Bt5 million from a jewellery store in Siam Paragon Department Store, Pathum Wan police said Sunday.

The four foreigners, one of whom is a woman, are seen in video images from a security camera in Blue River Diamonds, said Police Lt-Colonel Akhom Janthalach, a deputy chief of the police station.

Warrants could not be issued against two other foreign men who entered the store shortly before the necklace went missing because they could not be seen clearly enough in video captures.

The officer said the four appeared to be from the Middle East judging from the video captures but spoke English among themselves according to store clerks.

[ncr]

One more short article (http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/02/19/national/national_20001186.php). Not much additional information; but it mentions the name of the shop:

Bt5m theft stuns Siam Paragon

A Bt5-million diamond necklace was stolen from Siam Paragon yesterday in the first theft case since the opening of the luxury shopping centre in central Bangkok on December 9.

Naran Thammawaranukhup said he discovered the 51-karat necklace was missing after a group of foreigners had visited his shop, the Blue River Diamond located in the mall’s Hall of Mirror zone. He rushed to Pathum Wan police station to report the crime. An investigator from the station said the store’s security camera filmed a group of five Middle-Easterners – one woman and four men.

“They came in the shop separately and pretended to select items, spending around 10 minutes before leaving. “Some of them might have asked the sales clerk to let them get a closer look at the necklace, which provided an opening for them to make off with the piece,” the officer said. “We will select the best shot from the closed circuit camera for further investigation and arrest,” he said.

[airlana]

Thanks for the updates NCR, much appreciated

Mrs Airlana has also given some snippets on this from the numerous Thai webs she reads with a passion.

airlana