Four arrested over illegal diamonds

MASERU – Four men, including a police officer and a soldier, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly trying to sell illegal diamonds worth about M250 000 in Ha-Thetsane.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli confirmed the incident last night.
Police sources said the suspects were nabbed following a police trap.
The four are still to appear in court.

Superintendent Mopeli said “the suspects will appear before courts once investigations are complete”.
“A police officer and a soldier along with two men were nabbed by the police while they were trying to sell diamonds weighing 13 carats,” a source said.
The diamonds were six in number and could have fetched as high as M250 000 on the black market.

The sources said diamond mining companies in the country are gravely worried by the high rate of diamond theft.
So they have roped in the police to help them investigate the missing diamonds in their mines so that they could be traced.
The suspects are aged between 26 and 34 years.

Lesotho diamonds are known to be of high quality and are of big sizes on the international market.
In October last year the Ministry of Mining offices were broken into and safes keeping diamonds were vandalised.

But officials at the ministry could not confirm if anything was stolen.
22 diamonds were kept in the two safes at the ministry’s offices.
The arrested police officer is stationed at the Maseru Central Police.

Majara Molupe