Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a precious pink diamond worth $25 million. DUBAI MEDIA OFFICE

Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a precious pink diamond worth $25 million.

"The Dubai Police General Command has foiled the theft of a very rare pink diamond, valued at $25 million," the police said in a statement shared by the United Arab Emirates' official news agency WAM.

A diamond trader who had brought the jewel from Europe was lured to a villa by a crime gang under the pretense of a viewing by a potential wealthy client, police said. But the gem was stolen when the diamond dealer arrived for the bogus inspection, the statement added.

"I just had a problem," a man can be heard saying on an emergency call released by the Dubai Media Office. "I came to meet a client to sell a diamond to them. They looked at the stone and now ... it's stolen."

Within eight hours three people from an unspecified Asian country were arrested "thanks to the efforts of specialized and field teams, and by using the latest artificial intelligence technologies," police said.

Video footage shared by the Dubai Media Office showed the three men with their faces blurred after their arrest as well as CCTV footage of the gang.

Dubai is an important hub for diamond trading. Tightly controlled and policed, the UAE prides itself on its security and stability.

The heist came just days after police said a group of thieves stole $2 million of merchandise from a family-owned jewelry store in Seattle in a daylight robbery that took only 90 seconds.

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