A jewel thief was sentenced to over five years in prison in Britain for stealing items worth millions of British pounds by replacing gemstones with pebbles.
In detail, a French woman stole a collection of diamond jewelry valued at approximately $5.8 million from a jewelry store in London in March 2016. After inspecting the pieces, which were in a bag, she attempted to take the bag without paying, but the sales assistant informed her that she could not do so until she paid for it. The woman apologized and returned the bag to the sales assistant.
However, the following day, store staff discovered that the woman had deceived them and swapped the bag with another one, fleeing the store with jewelry valued at $5.8 million, according to French police, while leaving a bag of worthless pebbles in its place.
After years of investigation, French police identified the thief as Lulu Lakatos, now 60 years old, a member of an international criminal organization from the Saint-Brieuc area in northwest France. French police arrested her and handed her over to British authorities, who charged her with theft and sentenced her to five and a half years in prison.
British police officer William Mann stated that it was a bold theft by professional individuals. He added that the execution of this bold plan revealed the level of professionalism of the criminals involved. Lakatos played a key role in the theft, but there were others who assisted her; international police arrested two men also involved in the theft.
Members of the gang, who pretended to be associates of a wealthy Russian investor, met multiple times before the theft at Boodles jewelry store, which was targeted on March 10, 2016. They arranged to meet Lakatos, describing her as a gemstone expert working with the investor.
Police reported that Lakatos arrived in London before the theft, stayed at a hotel, and then met with two gang members in preparation for the meeting at Boodles. The next day, she went to the Boodles store, introducing herself as Anna. She was not alone, as surveillance cameras showed four gang members waiting outside the store, including two women in addition to the two men she had previously met.
After introducing herself, she informed the staff that she did not speak English well, which was part of the plan. One shop worker took her to a room inside the store and showcased diamond pieces. After examining them, she returned them to their original bag and placed the bag in her purse. However, the worker informed her that the diamonds would remain in the store until payment was made, to which she apologized, citing her poor language skills, and returned the bag to the staff.
At that moment, she had swapped the bag for another containing seven ordinary pebbles. Afterward, Lakatos exited the store, met with the two men and the two women waiting for her, handed them the bag containing the diamonds, and took a taxi to Victoria Station, from where she boarded a train and left the country, as per police reports.
The next day, Boodles jewelry store discovered the theft. Immediately, international police launched an investigation and managed to resolve the case and identify the perpetrators. Although Lakatos has been convicted and is currently in prison, investigations are ongoing to discover any more individuals involved.
Footage captured by surveillance cameras highlighted the moment Lakatos switched bags using what the court referred to as "sleight of hand." The two accomplices, Kristof Stankovitch and Michael Yovanovich, were sentenced to three years and eight months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit theft.
Lulu Lakatos (60 years old) posed as a gemstone expert under the alias “Anna” to obtain jewelry valued at a total of £4.2 million ($5.8 million). She claimed that a wealthy Russian client had sent her to appraise the jewelry before replacing it with worthless stones. A jury found her guilty of conspiracy to commit theft in Southwark Crown Court in South London. The judge described the theft as “complex and very bold,” involving “brazen deception.” Prosecutors stated that the theft of the seven diamonds, including one valued at £2.2 million, from a luxury family-owned jewelry company in the upscale Mayfair district of London, is the largest of its kind ever in Britain. The actual diamonds that London police reported Lakatos stole in collaboration with an organized international gang have not been recovered since the theft in March 2016.
Romanian-born Lakatos from Saint-Brieuc in northwest France arrived in London a day before the theft and met with other gang members. The trio then conducted a reconnaissance trip to Boodles jewelry store on Bond Street in Mayfair. On the day of the theft, Lakatos inspected the diamonds, weighed them, wrapped them in tissue, and placed them in boxes within a locked bag.
Her conviction followed her arrest in France under a European arrest warrant. The two accomplices with her, Kristof Stankovitch and Michael Yovanovich, were sentenced to three years and eight months after admitting to conspiracy to commit theft.
