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Tiffany diamond stolen from mall
Updated: 2010-09-02 11:19
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Police with the Dongcheng branch of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau confirmed on Wednesday that they received a report of a diamond ring stolen last Friday from the Tiffany store at Beijing's Oriental Plaza.
"The case is under investigation," said Zi Xiangdong, from the publicity office of the Security Bureau.
A 3-carat diamond ring, stolen at 9 pm on Aug 27, was priced at 2.2 million yuan ($321,000), according to Beijing News.
A cleaner who works in the area around the shop said she heard from fellow cleaners that a foreign man removed the diamond ring after his companion dropped her own ring under the counter to distract the attention of the saleswoman.
The saleswoman chased after them, but failed to retrieve the ring, said the cleaner, who declined to be named.
According to a leaflet from the local police, the suspect had previously visited the shop on a number of occasions before he stole the ring.
The outlet, which opens onto East Chang'an Avenue, had four staff members on duty the night of the theft, Beijing News reported.
At least two shop assistants and internal security workers are present when customers look at expensive diamond rings at the neighboring jewelry store Moneta, according to a member of the staff.
The Tiffany store is equipped with six security cameras and police are examining the footage.
In response to the theft, local police issued a notice reminding stores inside the Oriental Plaza to provide better security training for shop assistants, as well as to install emergency alarms.
Stores were further advised to hire security or male shop assistants.
A female employee at Tiffany & Co in Shanghai refused to talk about the case, but said they were cooperating with the police.
Tiffany has two stores in Beijing. The other one is at The Peninsula Palace.
The company is preparing for global expansion and will at least double the 12 outlets it has in China, the Wall Street Journal reported in July.
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.
