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A missing diamond worth more than £180,000 was found in a Chinese tourist’s large intestine after a doctor performed a colonoscopy.

The 6-carat gemstone was allegedly stolen from a jewellery fair in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier this week and a man and a woman were later arrested in connection with theft.

The woman, named as 39-year-old Jiang Xulian, and a male accomplice were arrested as they tried to leave Thailand from Suvarnabhumi Airport after they allegedly swapped the diamond for a fake one after asking to inspect it.

The duo were identified as the diamond thieves by the booth dealer but both Xulian and the man, who has not been named, denied any involvement.

But an X-ray conducted as part of the investigation showed a diamond-like object in the woman’s intestine, and police said she later confessed to the theft.

Police Colonel Mana Tienmaungpak said it was only when a doctor wielding a colonoscope examined the woman that a diamond worth 10 million baht - £180,000 – was recovered from her large intestine.

Tienmaungpak, the chief investigator in the case, said the woman agreed to the colonoscopy after being told the foreign object risked injuring her.

The owner of the stolen diamond later identified the gem after it was recovered.

If convicted, Xulian and her male partner could face up to three years in prison.

In 2012, police in South Africa arrested a 25-year-old man who they said swallowed 220 polished diamonds in an attempt to smuggle them out of the country.

The diamonds were estimated to be worth about £1.49 million and were discovered by a body scan as the man was waiting to go through airport security before attempting to take a flight to Dubai.