SAINT JOHN, N.B. — A New Brunswick jeweller says he high-fived and hugged staff members after finding out a Toronto-area couple has been charged in a daring diamond theft at his store that could be connected to a series of similar heists nationwide.
Wayne Smith said he was told Thursday morning of the arrests of 70-year-old Grigori Zaharov and 44-year-old Natalia Feldman of Vaughan, Ont., on theft-related charges.
"I am over the moon," said Smith, who was thrilled the sophisticated camera system at his store, W. Smith and Co. Fine Jewellers, played a major role in identifying the suspects.
"A good old little Saint John store was responsible for bringing down, it looks like, a major theft ring."
The pair was sought in an Oct. 7 theft at Smith's store. The thieves presented themselves as a couple arguing over how many carats to buy, and then switched a $10,000 diamond with a fake while the salesperson was distracted, he said.
Saint John police Sgt. Chuck Breen said the suspects were arrested overnight Thursday outside of 1 Maison Parc Circle in Vaughan. Breen said they are being held by the York Regional Police Service and will be returned to New Brunswick to answer to the charges, likely within the next few days.
The Saint John force said the couple "are suspects in numerous other jurisdictions for similar incidents," and multiple police agencies are working "to determine the entirety of their actions."
"The same two suspects appear to have been involved in a similar theft in Charlottetown and we also received information that a similar theft had taken place at a jewellery store in Fredericton," said Breen. "They were travelling and obviously they are professionals. They're quite good at what they do."
Smith went public about the robbery at his store this month, and said he has since heard directly from stores and police officers from coast to coast about similar heists.
He has said he knows of about half-dozen thefts from Vancouver to the Maritimes, and thinks there are likely dozens more. Smith estimates more than $1 million in diamonds may have been stolen by the pair.
"It's going to get much bigger," he said.
Breen said there's no doubt Smith's camera security system played a big part in the arrests.
"It's a phenomenal set-up. The pixels from the freeze frames — I've yet to see a video surveillance from any businesses we've dealt with as good as the one Mr. Smith has," said Breen.
