British tourist arrested for stealing $225,000 diamond

MELBOURNE, Australia – A British tourist has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a rare pink diamond worth $225,000 from a jewellery shop in Australia.

MELBOURNE, Australia – A British tourist has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a rare pink diamond worth $225,000 from a jewellery shop in Australia.

The man, who has been named as 29-year-old Matthew Osborne, has been accused of stealing the pink Argyle diamond from the Diamond Gallery in Cairns, Queensland.

Police said the suspect was seen riding away on a dark-coloured mountain bike following the alleged incident at about 11am last Friday.

The diamond was still inside its container when it was taken, said detectives.

The store specialises in rare pink polished diamonds, some of which can fetch up to nearly ยฃ1million.

Of every million carats of rough diamonds mined, only one carat is suitable for sale.

Rare pink diamonds are on average valued 20 times the price of an equivalent white diamond.

The stolen diamond was said to be 0.31 carats.

A man was arrested at Melbourne Airport today while trying to board a flight to New Zealand.

Police said the man had a British passport with an Australian tourist visa. It is not known where in the UK he is from.

He is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court tomorrow charged with theft.

It is expected the authorities in Cairns, part of a different state, will ask for him to be extradited to them.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...