CCTV footage has captured the moment a man allegedly swallowed a £35,000 engagement ring in an attempt to steal it from a Hatton Garden jewellery store. The incident occurred at Elegance Jewellers, a family-run business that has operated in central London's jewellery quarter for three generations.
How the Theft Unfolded
Junaid Hassan, 28, who runs the family business, said staff were confused when one of three engagement rings they were showing a customer seemingly disappeared. The princess-cut diamond ring vanished during the interaction, and employees had to review their CCTV footage to understand what happened.
The video shows the customer picking up the ring and swiftly placing it in his mouth before allegedly swallowing it and attempting to leave the store. When staff confronted the shopper about the unusual tactic, they claim he put his fingers down his throat and brought the ring back up to return it.
Junaid described the incident as 'really crazy' and said: 'I still can't believe that it happened. You never know who you are sitting in front of. We just happened to catch him. You don't know where else he has been that people just haven't noticed. It was absolutely insane.'
Family Business Shocked by Incident
The shop, located in Hatton Garden, has been run by the same family for over 30 years. Junaid noted: 'We have been in Hatton Garden for three generations, and we have never seen anyone swallow a ring before. I can't even take paracetamol without water, I don't know how he did it. It could have scratched his insides. He was talking normally, you couldn't even tell it was in there.'
Junaid's father, Syed Hussan, 58, served the customer in June 2025. Syed said the man walked in at closing time and spent two hours looking at various rings before trying to leave, stating he would return the next day with a decision. When Syed noticed the ring was missing and asked for it back, the customer started shouting and demanded they check his pockets.
Due to the swiftness of the swallow, Syed said it took several watches of the CCTV to spot what happened. After the man regurgitated the ring, security escorted him out of the shop. Staff are unsure what happened to him next.
Ring Valued at £35,000
The engagement ring featured a large princess-cut diamond, along with several smaller diamonds set in a platinum band, bringing its total value to approximately £35,000. Syed said: 'I asked him nicely to give it back, and he started screaming and shouting. This was the first time I had seen anything like this, so it is lucky that I caught him.'
Junaid believes the customer must have been a professional, claiming he even had a friend saved on his phone as 999 to speak with staff and tell them to let him go. He decided to post the video on social media this month to raise awareness, and it has since gained millions of views. 'People on social media think we staged it. I didn't expect it to do that well. We just posted it to raise awareness that this happens in jewellery shops,' he said.
