A pack of diamonds, reportedly worth around US$1 million, was stolen on Thursday afternoon from the 4th Shanghai International Jewellery Fair at the Shanghai International Exhibition Center, sources said. 

The stolen stones were superior quality processed diamonds (0.01-0.15 cts), said Chen Rongrong, a spokeswoman of Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

The total value of the diamonds has not been released, Chen said on Friday, but the China Central Television reported earlier that total losses might be around US$1 million and that the diamonds were owned by Qingdao Jinghua Diamond & Jewellery Co Ltd, one of the exhibitors from east China's Shandong Province.

Police said they were stolen around 4 pm when the exhibitor was busy gathering its products into a backpack in preparation to a move to ShanghaiMart in western Shanghai for another three-day show.

Four visitors went to the company's booth to talk to the staff, said the report.

The four then asked for a look at some diamond samples but within a few minutes, all of them and the backpack with the diamonds had disappeared, said the report, quoting exhibition staff.

The exhibitor also lost some 50,000 yuan (US$6,046) in cash and a cellular phone.

(China Daily May 15, 2004)