Two male suspects, accused of swapping a genuine three-carat diamond with a replica at Macao's first international jewelry and watch fair earlier in January, were remanded on custody pending court trial, according to a press statement released on Tuesday.

The Public Prosecutions Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region government said in the statement that, on Jan. 10, the duo tricked a Hong Kong exhibitor at the Macao Jewelry and Watch Fair to show them two diamonds, and swapped one of the three-carats, worth 470,000 patacas (around 58,000 U.S. dollars), with a replica while the exhibitor was away to fetch some information paper of the diamond.

The two suspects were arrested at the fair after the exhibitor soon realized the switch and called the police, the prosecutions office said.

The replica was of high quality and only professionals could identify the difference between it and the genuine one, according to the statement

Police will further investigate if the duo were involved in similar cases before.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2008)