WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand police said Friday they have found a stolen James Bond-themed car. Faberge pendant after six days of careful observation of a man accused of swallowing decorations in the Auckland store.
They said the pendant was discovered on Thursday evening after it exited the suspect's gastrointestinal tract naturally, without medical intervention.
The limited edition Faberge egg pendant is inspired by a 1983 painting. James Bond the film Octopussy, in which a fake Faberge egg is used as part of a jewelry smuggling operation.
A less glamorous photo released by New Zealand police on Friday showed a gloved hand holding the recovered pendant and long gold chain with an intact price tag that listed the jewelry at NZ$33,000 ($19,000).
The man was arrested at Partridge Jewelers in Auckland on November 28, shortly after the alleged theft.
He appeared in court Nov. 29 when he entered a not guilty plea to the theft charge. He has been in police custody since then and officers have been with the man around the clock waiting for evidence to resurface.
The 32-year-old man's name has not been publicly released. He is due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday and will remain in police custody until then.
“Given this man is in police custody, we are required to continue to monitor him given the circumstances of this incident,” Inspector Gray Anderson said in a statement on Wednesday.
The store's website says the egg, one of 50 made, was 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.”
