Diamonds Stolen from Israel Bourse Event

[By Rapaport] A man allegedly stole a briefcase of diamonds worth tens of thousands of dollars from the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) last week. 

The theft took place on Monday at International Diamond Week in Israel (IDWI), which ran for three days on the trading floor of the Ramat Gan bourse. 

A man in a sharp suit calmly snatched the case from under an exhibitor’s table, before walking away, according to surveillance footage published by Israeli broadcaster Kan (see Hebrew video below). IDE security officers quickly became aware the box was missing, investigated the incident, and passed on the relevant details to authorities, the bourse said. 

Nine people from South America reportedly orchestrated the incident. They came to Israel specifically to carry out the alleged crime, and were arrested later in the week while trying to leave the country via the Egyptian border, according to Kan. The diamonds have been returned, the report added. 

“This was a very sophisticated job which enabled the thieves to get through the Israel Diamond Exchange security system, which is considered the best of its kind in the world,” an IDE spokesperson told Rapaport News. “The gang included nine suspects who, it is suspected, used fake passports, some of which were given entry into the bourse and others were not.” 

More than 350 foreign buyers attended IDWI from more than 30 countries, the exchange said.

Source: Rapaport