JEWELER LOCKS DIAMOND THIEF IN VAULT

A Boca Raton jeweler stopped a potential diamond thief by locking her in his vault. Vladislav Yampolsky sensed something was wrong about Fatima Milanovic, 46, trying to buy more than $6 million in diamonds from his store. She claimed to represent a potential buyer in a deal that had been in the works for weeks. The deal was for 11 stones worth $6.7 million. Yampolsky became suspicious shortly after Milanovic arrived. She brought no tools, no magnifying glass, no diamond dealer’s loupe, so “it was obvious she was about to pull something,” Yampolsky said. After looking at the diamonds, she insisted on wrapping them inside her own packing material. And, she kept trying to distract him. Mr. Yampolki noticed she had a similar package inside her bag, and assumed she was ready to switch the two. He left the vault room they were in, locked the door and called the cops.
* The old Cincinnati Switcheroo. The Davenport Double Cross. The Tallahassee Turn. The Moose Jaw Metamorphosis. The Riviera Roll. The Rancho Mirage.
* I can keep going. The Sarasota Swap. The Rapid City Reverse. The El Segundo Exchange. The Abilene About-Face. The Utica U-Turn.
* You’ve heard of sleight of hand? This woman was sleight of mind.
* You get the feeling this was not the first time the jeweler faced a thief.
* So you have all the riches anyone could ever want but you’re locked in the vault. What a metaphor for modern life.
* Fatima Milanovic? Even the name sounds suspicious.
* He didn’t just catch her – he held her in a vault? Now that is what you call a citizen’s arrest.