Chinese man jailed for trying to swap US$237,000 diamond ring with replica at Singapore shop

Wu did not manage to make it out of the store before an employee discovered what he had done.

On Friday, the 44-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to 40 months’ jail after pleading guilty to a theft charge. Another charge of attempted cheating was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that a fellow Chinese national, Chen Hanbo, first reached out to Wu on WeChat in October 2023 and asked if he was interested in “fast cash jobs”.

When Wu said yes, Chen told him the job was a high-risk one that involved swapping a genuine diamond ring at Tiffany & Co with a replica one. Chen did not specify how much Wu would earn but reassured him that he would not be short-changed.

On November 1, the pair flew to Singapore and visited the Marina Bay Sands casino.

Chen, who paid for Wu’s travel expenses, then visited the Tiffany & Co store alone to look at a potential diamond ring for the swap. They returned to China on November 3.

Six days later, Wu returned to Singapore alone on Chen’s instructions. Chen told him to go to the store, look for the biggest diamond ring there and take a photograph of its price tag.

Wu went to the store and told a client adviser there that he was from Taiwan and looking for a gift for his wife in the form of a “big diamond ring”.

When the employee showed him some, Wu took a photo of a 3.18-carat ring and its accompanying price tag of S$318,000 after seeking permission to do so. He sent the photo to Chen sometime later.

He told the client adviser that he would be returning within the next few days to buy the genuine ring. She gave him her name card and wrote down her working hours on November 11, as well as the particulars of the ring.

Wu returned to China the following day. Subsequently, Chen