Man held in Sri Lanka for swallowing diamond

A man who swallowed a diamond worth more than £8,000 at a jewellery exhibition has been arrested by Sri Lankan police.

Chou Wan swallowed the gem while examining diamonds at a stall during the opening day of the exhibition in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo today.

The owner of the stall complained to police after seeing Chou swallow the diamond, which was worth 1.8 million Sri Lankan rupees.

Chou, a 32-year-old Chinese national, is in custody pending further investigation.

Sri Lanka has long been renowned for its highly-treasured gems.