WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand police are waiting for nature to take its course after a man allegedly tried to remove a pendant worth NZ$33,000 ($19,000) from a jewelry store by swallowing it.
The 32-year-old man, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, is accused of eating ornate Faberge Octopus pendant at Partridge Jewelers in Auckland on November 28th.
Evidence of the alleged theft has not yet emerged, police said Wednesday.
“He was medically assessed at the time of his arrest and an officer is tasked with keeping the man under constant surveillance,” Inspector Gray Anderson said in a statement. “At this stage the pendant has not been found.”
A man was arrested at the store minutes after the alleged theft. He appeared in Auckland District Court on November 29 where he entered no plea to the theft charge.
The intended prize was a limited edition Fabergé egg pendant based on the 1983 painting. James Bond film “Octopussy”. Central to the film's plot is a jewelry smuggling operation involving a fake Faberge egg.
The store's website says the egg, of which only 50 were made, is made of gold, painted with green enamel and set with 183 diamonds and two sapphires. The pendant measures 8.4 centimeters (3.3 inches) high and is mounted on a stand.
“The egg opens to reveal an 18k yellow gold octopus adorned with white diamond suction cups and black diamond eyes,” the item description reads. “The octopus surprise pays homage to the eponymous antagonist at the center of the film Octopussy.”
Time and digestion will tell if there will be another octopus surprise.
“Given that this individual is in police custody, we have a responsibility to continue to monitor him given the circumstances of this incident,” Anderson said.
The accused is due to appear in court again on December 8.
