Bond Villain Move! Cops Snag Swallowed Fabergé Egg - 6 Day Wait!

WELLINGTON – Talk about a tough nut to crack, or rather, a tough pendant to retrieve! New Zealand police have successfully recovered a rather… unique piece of evidence: a US$19,000 Fabergé pendant that a suspected thief allegedly swallowed. And the method of recovery? Let's just say it was a "natural" process after a six-day wait.

Bond Villain Move! Cops Snag Swallowed Fabergé Egg...

The pendant, a limited-edition piece inspired by the James Bond film *Octopussy* (a detail that adds a certain flair to this already bizarre story, don’t you think?), vanished down the hatch, so to speak, at Partridge Jewellers in Auckland on November 28th. The 32-year-old suspect was promptly arrested, but the star attraction was… well, still inside him. He's now facing theft charges and is due back in Auckland District Court on December 8th. I bet he's regretting his impromptu snack.

Now, you might be wondering, how exactly does one "naturally" recover a swallowed Fabergé pendant? Well, let's just say it involved a lot of patience, a watchful eye, and presumably, some rather unpleasant tasks for the officers involved. No need for surgical intervention, thankfully. The pendant emerged, shall we say, organically, on Thursday night. I can only imagine the collective sigh of relief from the police team.

Inspector Grae Anderson had previously stated the police’s duty of care to the suspect, given the unusual circumstances. "Given this man is in police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred," he said. A rather polite way of saying they were waiting for the inevitable, wouldn't you agree?

This isn't your average shoplifting case, that's for sure. The pendant itself is a work of art – gold, green enamel, adorned with 183 diamonds and two sapphires. It even opens up to reveal a little gold octopus! Only 50 of these were ever made, adding to the pendant's exclusivity and, presumably, the suspect’s desperation (or perhaps just sheer stupidity). It’s a testament to the dedication, and perhaps a bit of morbid humor, of the New Zealand police force that they managed to retrieve it intact. You have to admire their commitment, even if the situation is, well, a bit crappy. All's well that ends well, I suppose, although I doubt the suspect will be feeling quite the same way.