14 Sep 2015

Stolen diamond surgically removed from intestines

8:33 am on 14 September 2015

A Chinese woman suspected of stealing a $475,000 diamond in the Thai capital of Bangkok has had the jewel surgically removed from her intestines.

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Photo: 123rf.com

She is thought to have swallowed it in order to smuggle it out of the country.

The woman is believed to have stolen the six-carat diamond from a jewellery fair on Thursday by swapping it for a fake gemstone.

However, she was caught on security cameras at the fair and later arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

A man travelling with her was also arrested.

Police said the woman initially denied involvement, but an X-ray revealed the diamond lodged inside her.

She was initially given laxatives, but when nature failed to take its course, a colonoscope was used to extract the gem.

A police official, quoted by the Bangkok Post, said the operation had taken about 12 minutes and the woman was recovering in hospital.

- BBC