US Thief After Swallowing Diamond Worth Rs 6 Crore: ‘Will I Be Charged With What Is In Stomach?’
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Surveillance cameras caught Jaythan Gilder fleeing in a blue Mitsubishi Outlander.
Orlando police have not confirmed whether the earrings have been recovered yet. (Representative Image)
A jewellery heist in Florida turned bizarre when the suspect tried to hide the evidence in his stomach. Police say the man swallowed more than $700,000 (approx. Rs 6 Crore) worth of stolen Tiffany earrings just hours before being taken into custody. Jaythan Gilder, 32, reportedly walked into the Tiffany & Co. store at the Mall at Millenia on February 26. He told employees he was a representative for an Orlando Magic basketball player. The story worked. Staff led him to a VIP room and showed him several high-end pieces, according to Orlando Police Detective Aaron Goss.
Gilder was presented with three luxury items. There was a pair of 4.86-carat diamond earrings and another pair with 8.19 carats, valued at a staggering $609,000 (approx. Rs 5 crore). The third piece was a 5.61-carat diamond ring with an equally hefty price. But instead of admiring the jewellery, he suddenly grabbed them and made a run for it. Employees tried to stop him. During the struggle, he dropped the ring but managed to escape with both pairs of earrings.
Surveillance cameras caught him fleeing in a blue Mitsubishi Outlander. Detectives later traced the SUV to an Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Houston. At around 7:55 p.m., Florida Highway Patrol spotted the vehicle on Interstate 10 in Tallahassee—about 300 miles from Orlando. He appeared to be heading back to Texas, taking the fastest route, reports NBC.
“As he was being taken into custody, Gilder swallowed several items,” the arrest affidavit stated.
A scan at Washington County Jail later confirmed officers’ suspicions. “Foreign objects” were detected inside his stomach. Police believe the items are the stolen earrings, but they will have to “pass through Gilder’s system” before they can be recovered.
While in custody, Gilder reportedly seemed to realise his mistake. At one point, he asked staff, “Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” Later, as he sat in a patrol car, an officer overheard him muttering, “I should have thrown them out the window.”
Orlando police have not confirmed whether the earrings have been recovered so far. A department spokesperson declined to comment, saying there was “no additional information to share at this time.”
According to NBC, investigators found the clothes Gilder wore during the robbery inside the SUV. He had also worn a piece of white gauze on his nose at the store. Police say it wasn’t covering an injury. Instead, it was likely a disguise, which led to an additional charge of “robbery with a mask.”
Gilder was booked on suspicion of grand theft and robbery with a disguise. He remained in custody in Orange County as of Wednesday.
This isn’t his first run-in with the law. Police reportedly say he pulled off a similar robbery at a Tiffany & Co. store in The Woodlands, Texas, in 2022. He also has 48 outstanding warrants in Colorado.
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Delhi, India, India