A New Zealand man with a taste for luxury has been arrested after stealing and swallowing a diamond-encrusted Fabergé-style egg worth about US$20,000 from an Auckland jewellery store.
The 32-year-old reportedly grabbed the green pendant egg late last week and gulped it down before attempting to escape. Police caught him before he could flee, but the stolen item has not yet been recovered.
Authorities said on Wednesday that an officer has been assigned to monitor the suspect while they wait for the egg to reappear naturally. “At this stage, the pendant has not been recovered,” police confirmed.
The special-edition locket was inspired by the James Bond film Octopussy, which centres around a plot to steal a rare Fabergé egg. The stolen piece features an 18k gold lattice design set with blue sapphires and white diamonds, closely mirroring the egg seen in the movie. Inside the pendant sits a tiny golden octopus.
Fabergé eggs, designed by Russia’s House of Fabergé in the late 19th century, are world-famous for their intricate craftsmanship and use of precious metals and gemstones.
