Officers track high value jewel thief to address in Bedfordshire

A jewel thief who stole rings worth more than £10,000 from businesses in Maidstone and Bluewater has been tracked down by officers who pursued her into Bedfordshire.

Daiana Anghel was arrested by constables from the Maidstone Victim Based Crime Team, after they travelled to the Luton area as part of an investigation into offences at two jewellery stores last year.

Officers had been investigating allegations that on 17 August 2022, a woman tried on rings from a display at an H Samuel store in Bluewater and that when she left staff discovered three of them had been stolen, with two of the rings replaced by fakes.  

It was also reported that on 10 September a ring valued at almost £9,000 was stolen from Cornell and Sons in Gabriel's Hill, Maidstone, after it was concealed by a woman posing as a customer.

Charged and convicted 

Anghel, 23, was arrested on Wednesday 11 January 2023, at her home address in Tenby Drive, Luton.

She was charged with two counts of theft, fraud and a further charge of possessing an article for use in fraud (namely more than 60 fake rings).

On Thursday 12 January, Anghel appeared before Luton Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty.

She was granted conditional bail and will be sentenced at Luton Crown Court on 23 February.