Woman Jailed for Swapping Diamonds with Pebbles in Daring London Jewellery Heist

• A London woman and two other men were arrested for stealing diamonds worth R72.7 million at a jewellery store
• The 60-year-old woman was given a five-year prison sentence for swapping out the diamonds with fakes
• Security footage showed Lakatos switching the purse with the diamonds for a duplicate in her handbag using sleight of hand

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!

A jewel thief known as Lulu Lakatos, 60, was arrested and placed under five years and six months jail term in Britain following a jewellery heist she committed with her gang.

The woman and her gang stole diamonds valued at R72.7 million and switched them with pebbles.

To commit the crime, Lulu used a fake name, Anna, and claimed to have been sent by a wealthy Russian client so that she could gain access to the jewels from the Boodles' Jewellers in Mayfair.

Read also

Daylight robbery: 7 suspects taken into custody, cops foil heist

Security footage

Security footage shows Lakatos switching the purse containing the diamonds for a duplicate in her handbag using sleight of hand.

This was after she had examined, weighed the diamonds and wrapped them in tissue paper and placed them in boxes in a locked purse.

The real diamonds, according to London police, stolen in March 2016,ooooooooooooo have never been recovered.

PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel

She escaped to France

After the heist, the thief handed her handbag over to an unknown woman and three hours later changed her clothes and made her escape for France using a train.

Lakatos had previously been convicted of theft in France and was also wanted in Switzerland for a similar crime.

Her kind of theft can be said to be daring and audacious.

For these crimes, and in her defence in court she claimed to have been mistaken for her sister who died in a car accident.

Read also

Haibo: Video shows robbery at KZN jeweller, SA stunned as guard fatally wounded

She was accompanied by two men during the Boodles' theft, Christophe Stankovic and Mickael Jovanovic who were jailed for more than three years each for pleading guilty.

Lulu Lakatos was sentenced to more than five years in prison in Britain on Wednesday, July 28, for posing as a gem expert and stealing such expensive jewellery; seven diamonds including one worth 2.2 million euros.

The conviction came moments after Lulu's arrest in France on a European arrest warrant.

SANDF Captain arrested and charged for Cash in Transit heist in the Western Cape

Briefly News previously reported that a 36-year-old South African National Defence Force captain will be making an appearance in the Outdshoorn Magistrate's Court on Monday. The SANDF member will be facing charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances after he was found to have been part of a cash-in-transit heist.

The heist occurred at a petrol station in Outdshoorn, Western Cape. Zinzi Hani, Spokesperson for the Western Cape Police, stated that the incident took place on 19 July. Hani explained that the captain is the fourth suspect apprehended in the matter.

Read also

Thandeka Dawn King addresses rumours on robbery, marriage and pregnancy

The cash was robbed by Fidelity Cash Solutions security guards who were collecting money from the petrol station in Outdshoorn.

According to EWN, the Fidelity security guards were approached by two suspects, who were armed. The suspects fled with the money shortly after disarming the guard of his weapon. Three of them were arrested just after the incident.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly News