A MAN from the Chinese mainland has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a diamond worth more than HK$3 million (US$387,000) after he allegedly swapped it for a fake on the third day of Hong Kong’s biggest international jewelry show on Lantau.

    Police were called after the 41-year-old was stopped by a staff member in the exhibition hall at the Hong Kong Jewelry and Gem Fair at the AsiaWorld-Expo shortly after noon. The man visited one booth posing as a buyer and asked staff members to show him some diamonds.

    “A staff member discovered this, intercepted him and called police. The stolen diamond was recovered at the scene.”

    The suspect is being held at the airport police station for questioning and no charge has been laid. The New Territories South regional crime unit is investigating.

    Plain-clothes police officers are deployed to the two venues staging the seven-day jewelry show — the AsiaWorld-Expo on Lantau and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. (SD-Agencies)