Thieves stole diamonds and gems worth about US$1.18 million in three separate heists from exhibitors at a Hong Kong jewelry fair, police said Monday.

The first theft involved an Israeli jeweler who reported to police that a tray of gems worth around US$300,000-US$500,000 went missing from his booth at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, where the five-day fair that ended Sunday was held.

A few hours later, a Belgium exhibitor told officials that he had lost four diamonds worth US$280,000, said police spokeswoman Kelly Chan.

In the third heist which took place in a hotel near the exhibition, two Brazilian men said their room had been ransacked and jewelry worth US$400,000 as well as US$13,000 in cash were stolen from them, Chan said.

Theft cases are common at such exhibitions in Hong Kong. Last week, exhibitors from South Korea, Israel and Belgium already reported losses of jewelry worth more than US$1.88 million.

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