Police in the United Arab Emirates said Monday they had foiled an attempt to steal a rare pink diamond valued at $25 million in Dubai, arresting three suspects who had allegedly planned the theft for over a year.

The Dubai police announced the arrest of the suspects, all of whom the police identified as being of Asian nationality.  

Authorities said the men posed as wealthy intermediaries for a potential buyer, persuading the diamond’s owner, a local jeweler, to remove it from his secure shop. Police said the suspects rented luxury cars, arranged meetings at luxury hotels and hired a diamond expert to authenticate the stone to gain credibility. The jeweler was eventually lured to a villa, where the suspects stole the diamond and fled. 

Just eight hours after the jeweler reported the diamond stolen, Dubai police formed a specialized task force that used “advanced technologies” to track the three men to different locations across the city and arrest them in coordinated raids. The diamond, which had been hidden in a small refrigerator intended for shipment to Asia, was recovered. It remains unclear where in Asia the suspects intended to smuggle the diamond.