Cool thief nets $8m in diamonds

All of the branch's stock was stolen

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Police are hunting a diamond firm employee who walked off with $8 million of gems in a cardboard box.

The 25-year-old man calmly walked out of the offices at Amsterdam's Gassan Diamonds with the uninsured diamonds stuffed into the box.

He had arrived at the office with the box at the start of the working day saying it contained a microwave oven, staff told the Reuters news agency.

Benno Leeser, director of the 56-year-old family-run firm said: "He came with a microwave in the box, but he left with the diamonds."

The theft was discovered on Sunday but police only released details on Thursday.

Leeser said: "When the staff opened the safe on Sunday , there was nothing there."

He added that the entire stock held at that branch had gone.

The suspect, said to be a former army cook who had worked for the firm since April, has vanished without trace.

Leeser said he had checked his credentials very thoroughly before hiring him.

The diamonds had a total sale value of some 20 million guilders ($8 million), and accounted for around a third of the company's total stock.

"I feel terrible," said Leeser. "I'm completely astonished."