LONDON: A gem expert in question has been convicted of using a magic to steal 5.2 million pounds ($ 5.7 million) diamonds from luxury jewelry in the Tony Mayfair district of London.
Lulu Lakatos, 60, was sentenced to Wednesday to 5 1/2 years in prison after the trial at the Southwark Crown Court in London.
Lakatos walked to the boodles jewelry store on March 10, 2016, after arranging to appreciate seven diamonds that were said to be in the name of a group of rich Russian buyers.
After examining gems, which includes 20 carat liver-shaped diamonds worth more than 2.2 million pounds, they are placed in a locked bag that should be held at Bricker’s Vault until the payment is received.
But when BeaoTles’ experts themselves became suspicious the following day, bags were x-rays and stores there were no other than seven ordinary pebbles.
Lakatos had used a disturbance to exchange a bag containing diamonds for identical containing gravel before being locked in the safe, according to testimony at the trial.
During theft found, Lakatos and his collaborators had fled to France.
He was arrested by the European capture warrant last September and returned to England to try.
Two men who worked with Lakatos had previously seen guilty of conspiracies to steal and were sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison.
The police are still investigating the involvement of two other women.