Lulu Lakatos, 60, posed as a gemologist visiting the Boodles jewellery retailer in Mayfair, London.
She swiped seven diamonds in a intelligent sleight-of-hand heist, and changed them with pebbles.
Lakatos was discovered responsible on Wednesday and sentenced to 5 years and 6 months’ jail.
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A 60-year-old gem thief was jailed for swiping seven diamonds from a London jewellery retailer in a $5.8 million heist.

Lulu Lakatos, 60, swapped the gems for pebbles utilizing sleight-of-hand, per a news release from the London Metropolitan Police.

Lakatos was a part of a world gang that set their sights on the Boodles retailer alongside New Bond Road, in central London’s Mayfair district. In line with the police, throughout this March 2016 heist, Lakatos pretended to be a gemologist named “Anna,” who was visiting London on behalf of a rich Russian investor.

Contained in the Boodles retailer, Lakatos considered the seven gems on behalf of the “purchaser.” The gems had been then positioned in a locked purse, to be transferred to the Boodles vault till the shop obtained cost for the products, per the Guardian.

However utilizing sleight-of-hand, Lakatos rapidly switched the bag containing the diamonds to at least one that contained pebbles, transferring the loot into her purse.

In line with the BBC, the gems stolen had been price $5.85 million. They included a 20-carat heart-shaped diamond price greater than $3.06 million and a three-carat pear-shaped fancy pink diamond price $1.53 million.

Lakatos managed to drag off the heist regardless of Boodles workers being suspicious of her. She left the shop rapidly, then handed the padlocked purse to an unknown lady. The gang then left the UK inside three hours, per the Metropolitan Police.

Boodles workers x-rayed the locked bag the following day and located that whereas the objects contained in the padlocked purse had been across the identical dimension because the diamonds, there was one thing amiss. The shop then opened the bag and located the pebbles.

Lakatos was arrested in France, and extradited to the UK on December 3 final 12 months, stated the police. The diamonds haven’t been recovered, per the Guardian.

“This was an audacious theft, carried out in plain view of skilled {and professional} workers at a famend jewelers’. The meticulous planning and execution of this theft disclose to me that these concerned had been extremely expert criminals,” stated Appearing Detective Sergeant William Man, a member of the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, the staff that hunted Lakatos down.

Lakatos was discovered responsible on July 28 and sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in jail.

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