Dubai Police said they caught three persons trying to leave the country eight hours after stealing a rare pink diamond in an elaborate scheme that took a year to execute

An ’exceptionally’ rare pink diamond worth $25 million was stolen in Dubai by a group of Asian thieves posing as wealthy buyers. The European trader, who owned the diamond, was lured to a villa where the gang nabbed the 21-carat gem and fled.

After tracking the diamond’s arrival in Dubai from Europe, the gang devised a “sophisticated plan,” in order to steal it. The thieves passed themselves off as wealthy dealers by renting luxury cars and holding meetings in high-end hotels. They even went as far as to hire a diamond expert to authenticate the stone, said police.