Australian Man Arrested In Thailand In $1m Ring Theft

Published on 27/10/09

A 30-year-old Australian man arrested in Thailand over the smash and grab theft of a $1 million ring from a jewellery shop in Melbourne says he is innocent.

George Georgiou, from Northcote in Melbourne, was arrested by Thai police in a raid on an apartment in the seaside resort of Pattaya in the early hours yesterday.

Thai police transferred Georgiou to Bangkok where he is being held pending moves to have him extradited to Australia.

The Australian Attorney-General's Department said the detention in Thailand of Georgiou was in response to an urgent provisional arrest request from Australia.

It was now a matter for Australia to proceed with a formal extradition request, the spokesman said.

The Attorney-General's Department said Georgiou was wanted by Australian authorities to face prosecution for theft and damage-related offences arising from two separate incidents.

In late March a man dressed all in black and wearing a beanie, smashed the display window at the Hardy Brothers Jewellers in Collins Street, Melbourne grabbing the $1 million ring.