Travelling abroad is fun but it can also be dangerous. There’s been plenty of cases of theft in foreign countries so it’s important to stay vigilant of pickpockets and ensure that your personal belongings are safe with you.
While one can turn a blind eye to theft if the stolen item is not of much value, how would you react if your diamond ring, which cost you millions, went missing during your holiday in a foreign country? We can only imagine how mortified this Malaysian woman must’ve felt when it happened to her.
Over the weekend, a businesswoman from Malaysia called the police after she noticed that her diamond ring, which cost about RM3.7 million, was missing from her hotel room at Ritz, Place Vendome in Paris. It was alleged that she took it off and left it on the bedside table in her room. However, when she returned from her shopping trip, the ring was nowhere to be found.
Paris police were then called to the scene to investigate a possible theft. “If we suspect a theft perpetrated by a high-level burglar, the service could be divested and the banditry suppression brigade could take over the case. We are still talking about colossal damage,” an officer told reporters.
Thankfully for the Malaysian tourist, the missing ring case was not a theft case. After the hotel’s security team carefully searched the whole building, the diamond ring was finally found in a vacuum cleaner’s dust bag. It’s possible that the ring may have fallen off the bedside table at one point that morning and was sucked into the vacuum when the housekeeper was cleaning up the hotel room.
If the RM3.7 million ring was actually stolen then it wouldn’t be all that surprising. While Paris is generally safe for solo travellers, the crime rate for petty theft and pickpocketing are quite high. Not too long ago, a Malaysian couple had their belongings stolen after thieves cut open their luggage in their hotel room in Paris.
Here’s a reminder to put your stuff safely away once you’ve checked into your hotel room whenever you’re travelling and always have your credit/debit cards, wallets, passports and phones on your person at all times when you’re going out.
Sources: Actu17 (1)(2), China Press, TheRakyatPost
