A New Zealand man has been charged for theft after he allegedly stole a diamond-studded locket in a rather unusual way – by swallowing it.
The ingested loot – a Fabergé egg locket valued at NZ$33,585 ($19,300; £14,600) – has not yet been recovered, police told local media outlets.
Police were called to Partridge Jewellers in central Auckland last Friday afternoon and the 32-year-old man was arrested in store minutes later. He has undergone a medical assessment and remains in custody, police say.
The allegedly stolen Fabergé egg is set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires, according to the jeweller’s website, and opens to reveal an 18-carat gold miniature octopus.
The Octopussy egg, as it is named, was inspired by the 1983 James Bond film of the same name, which centres on an elaborate Fabergé egg heist.
Fabergé is a world-renowned jeweller founded in Russia more than two centuries ago, famous for its eggs made of gems and precious metals.
