Digestive evidence pending

A MAN is due to appear in a New Zealand court today, according to Associated Press, accused of swallowing a $19 000 (R322 700) pendant in a jewellery store in an attempt to smuggle it out.

-  Susan Rice

Today is supposed to be his day in court, but at the time of writing, we were still waiting for nature to take its course.

The so far unnamed 32-year-old is accused of eating an ornate Fabergé octopus pendant at a jewellery store in Auckland on November 28. Évidence of the alleged theft was yet to emerge, police said. "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. "At this stage, the pendant has not been recovered."

The man was arrested inside the store minutes after the alleged swallowing. The alleged loot was a limited-edition Fabergé 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 Fabergé egg.