Six days later, a $19,000 Fabergé pendant makes its way out of the thief’s gastrointestinal tract
A James Bond-inspired piece of jewellery has emerged after being swallowed.
How did that Fabergé egg get into your intestine? You swallowed it... OK.
In a bizarre turn of events, New Zealand police have reclaimed a highly-valued pendant after a man allegedly swallowed it during a theft and kept under continuous surveillance until it emerged, erm, naturally.
The drama began on November 28, when a 32-year-old suspect was arrested inside the central Auckland store Partridge Jewellers. According to authorities, the man had reportedly grabbed the jewelled creation and swallowed it in a desperate attempt to smuggle it out.
The pendant was no ordinary piece of jewellery. Modelled after an egg from the 1983 film Octopussy, a production in the franchise of James Bond, the item was a rare collector’s object, and one of only 50 ever made.
“We have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances”
“The egg opens to reveal an 18ct yellow gold octopus nestled inside, adorned with white diamond suckers and black diamond eyes,” an item description said. “The octopus surprise pays homage to the eponymous antagonist at the centre of the ‘Octopussy’ film.”
Its price tag stood at NZ$33,000 (about US$19,000).
Rather than rush to surgery, police opted for an old-fashioned watch-and-wait approach: they placed officers under round-the-clock surveillance to oversee the suspect until the pendant was expelled naturally. Their patience paid off. On Thursday night, after six days, the pendant was released by his tract, intact, still attached to its original gold chain and with the price tag unscathed. No latex gloves were required.
“Given this man is in Police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred,” Inspector Grae Anderson said in a statement Wednesday.
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The man in question had his initial court appearance on November 29, where he didn’t enter a plea. The next hearing is expected on December 8, when he will face formal theft charges.
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