Dubai Police Recover Rare $20 Million Stolen Blue Diamond

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai police say they've recovered a rare $20 million blue diamond that was stolen from a city company's vault and smuggled to Sri Lanka inside a pair of sneakers in a shoebox.

Police said Thursday a guard with the money transfer company secreted the diamond out of the vault on May 25 and passed it off to a relative who smuggled it out of the country.

After more than 100 interviews and the review of thousands of hours of CCTV footage — some showing the theft in progress — police say they were able to pinpoint the suspect.

Police say he was arrested elsewhere in the country but gave no other details.

It was not immediately clear how the diamond was recovered from Sri Lanka.

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