Two Arrested in India for Smuggling Non-KP Zimbabwean Diamonds

(IDEX Online News) - Two men were arrested in Surat for allegedly smuggling into the country a large amount of rough diamonds from Zimbabwe, the Indian press reported. The two were arrested last week by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence with 48,663 carats of rough diamonds valued at $2.3 million. The goods did not have Kimberley Process certificates.

Zohra Desai, 53, and Prema Desai, 49, residents of Navsari, Gujarat, were trying to sell the goods in Surat," a DRI official told news agencies.

"The duo recently arrived in Mumbai from Nairobi and had come to Surat by road from Navsari. They failed to produce the mandatory Kimberley Process certificate for the roughs," the official said.

The arrests follow repeated reports about smuggling of non-KP goods into Surat from Zimbabwe’s Marange region. In September 2008, Robai Hussein of Guyana and Yusuf Ossely of Lebanon were arrested with rough diamonds worth an estimated $900,000. They were later sentenced to four years in prison for trading in Conflict Diamonds.