Police in New Zealand are waiting for nature to take its course after a man allegedly tried to smuggle a NZ$33,000 ($19,000) pendant out of a jewellery store by swallowing it.
The 32-year-old man, who has not been publicly named, is accused of eating an ornate Faberge octopus pendant at Partridge Jewelers in Auckland on Friday.
Evidence of the alleged theft had yet to emerge, police said on Wednesday.
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“At the time of his arrest he underwent a medical assessment, and an officer is assigned to constantly monitor the man,” Inspector Grae Anderson said in a statement. “At this stage, the pendant has not been recovered.”
The man was arrested inside the store minutes after the alleged theft. He appeared in the Auckland District Court on Saturday, where he did not enter a plea on a charge of theft.
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The alleged loot was a limited-edition Faberge egg pendant inspired by the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. Central to the film’s plot is a jewel-smuggling operation that involves a fake Faberge egg.