Indian Diamond Smuggler Jailed in Vietnam

(IDEX Online) - An Indian national has been jailed for seven years in Vietnam after he admitted smuggling diamonds worth $320,000 into the country.

Dapale Alkesh Kashinath, 28, said he'd been paid INR 10,000 ($120) by his employer, a Mumbai-based diamond company, to take the stones into the country without declaring them at customs.

Vietnam charges import duties of up to 27 per cent on polished diamonds and jewelry. VAT and other taxes may also apply.

It was Kashinath's sixth or seventh smuggling trip. He would meet buyers at hotels and hand over the goods once they'd supplied coded and symbols agreed in advance with his employer.

He was apprehended at Tan Son Nhat International (pictured), Vietnam's largest airport, in Ho Chi Minh City in October 2024.

X-rays of luggage revealed he had 15 plastic bags, containing 362 natural diamonds, hidden inside two candy boxes.

Kashinath was sentenced to seven years in prison last Friday (5 September) at Ho Chi Minh City People's Court. An application to pay a fine instead was rejected.