Sri Lankan diamond saga: Swallowed gem was fake
Tuesday - 9/11/2012, 5:23am ET
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lanka police say a diamond swallowed by a Chinese man at a gem exhibition in Colombo was a fake and they are searching for the real stone.
Police arrested 32-year-old Chou Wan last week following a complaint that the he had swallowed a 1.5 carat diamond valued at $13,000. An X-ray showed a diamond was inside Chou's body and he was later given a laxative at a hospital.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said Tuesday that the recovered diamond was a fake and had no financial value. He said investigators suspect another Chinese man seen with Chou and believed to be his accomplice may have the real diamond.
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