A jewellery store in London’s Hatton Garden has released CCTV footage allegedly showing the moment a man sw@llowed a £35,000 engagement ring in an apparent attempt to st3al it.

Staff at Elegance Jewellers said the incident occurred in June 2025 after a customer spent about two hours viewing engagement rings before one of the pieces suddenly went missing.

According to the store’s management, the customer was shown three rings, including a princess-cut diamond engagement ring valued at approximately £35,000.

Junaid Hassan, 28, who helps run the family business, said staff were initially unable to explain how the ring had disappeared and decided to review the store’s CCTV footage.

The footage allegedly shows the man picking up the ring, placing it in his mouth, and sw@llowing it before attempting to leave the shop.

When confronted, the customer allegedly denied taking the ring and even invited staff to search his pockets. However, repeated reviews of the CCTV footage reportedly revealed the moment he sw@llowed the jewellery.

According to the store, employees then asked the man to return the ring. He allegedly forced himself to v0mit and produced the engagement ring before handing it back. Security personnel subsequently escorted him out of the premises.

Junaid Hassan described the incident as unlike anything the family had witnessed in more than three decades of running the business.

His father, Syed Hussan, who attended to the customer, said the man arrived shortly before closing time and claimed he would return the following day to make a purchase before attempting to leave the store.

The engagement ring reportedly featured a large princess-cut diamond mounted on a platinum band with several smaller diamonds.

The jewellers also claimed the suspect appeared experienced, alleging that during the confrontation he contacted someone saved in his phone as “999” in what they believed was an attempt to pressure staff into letting him leave.

The family later shared the CCTV footage on social media to warn other jewellers about unusual theft methods. According to the store, the video has since attracted millions of views online, although some social media users questioned its authenticity.

The jewellers, however, maintain that the footage is genuine and say it was released to raise awareness of the unconventional tactics some suspected thieves may employ.