Life of Guangzhou - Shenzhen Worker Caught Stealing 177 Diamonds

A WORKER at a jewelry factory in Nanshan District, Shenzhen was caught Monday in possession of 177 diamonds he had stolen from the factory over just over a year.

The worker, identified only by his surname Lu, 36, had hidden the diamonds, worth more than 15,000 yuan (US$2,072), in his underpants after replacing them with smaller diamonds. The factory's security alarm went off as the worker was passing through a routine security check after finishing work Monday afternoon, yesterday's Daily Sunshine said.

Lu, from Shixing County, Guangdong Province, worked in the diamond division of the factory. He confessed that he had bought 270 small diamonds from a Shangsha market in Futian District in October 2005 to switch them for larger diamonds at the factory.

According to factory regulations, workers have to change into work uniforms before they are allowed to enter the work place. He said he had put the small diamonds in his underpants to smuggle them into the work place.

Lu had switched the small diamonds for the larger ones during the period from October 2005 to the end of 2007. "I'd thought of stopping switching the diamonds as I am well aware that this was against the law. However, the trick had not been discovered by anyone during the past years and I was overcome by greed," said Lu at Nanshan police station.

He said he had hidden the larger diamonds in the factory bathroom, and planned to take them out of the factory altogether to minimize the risk of being caught.

However, 177 diamonds were just too many not to be spotted and Lu was detained by Nanshan police. (By Wei Jie)

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