[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] A man who tried to steal a diamond ring worth about 70 million won by swallowing it at a jewelry store in the United Kingdom was caught on CCTV and arrested.
The man strongly denied the theft and insisted that staff check even his pockets, but after realizing there was video evidence, he eventually spat the ring back out and returned it.
According to the Daily Mail and other local media, the man visited a jeweler in London recently and spent about two hours browsing various items while pretending to be a customer. He then secretly put a diamond ring worth about 35,000 pounds, or roughly 70 million won, into his mouth and swallowed it.
The ring is a high-end platinum piece centered on a large princess cut diamond and surrounded by several smaller diamonds.
The CCTV footage clearly showed the man examining the ring closely before bringing it to his mouth and swallowing it. He then continued looking at other rings shown by staff as if nothing had happened.
The man tried to leave the store, saying he would come back the next day to decide whether to buy it, but staff noticed the ring was missing and stopped him.
He initially denied the theft and claimed he was innocent, saying, "Check all my pockets," and even shouted in protest.
After staff reviewed the CCTV and demanded the ring back, he eventually put his finger down his throat, vomited up the ring, and handed it over.
He was reportedly arrested by police the following day.
The store owner said, "I can't even swallow painkillers without water, so I don't understand how he swallowed such a large ring," adding, "Even though the ring may have scratched him inside, he kept talking as if nothing was wrong."
He explained, "When we asked him to return the ring, the man put his finger in his throat and brought it back up by vomiting."
He added, "At first, the man shouted and denied the crime, but he suddenly became calm once he realized the store had seen everything on CCTV."
Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
