Police recover a James Bond-inspired Fabergé pendant from the bowels of a man accused of eating it

By Canadian Press on December 4, 2025.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s police, who have spent six days monitoring every bowel movement of a man accused of swallowing a James Bond-inspired pendant in a jewelry store, said Friday that they had recovered the allegedly stolen loot.

A spokesperson said the 33,000 New Zealand dollar ($19,000) Fabergé pendant was recovered from the man’s gastrointestinal tract on Thursday night by natural means. Medical intervention was not required.

The 32-year-old man, who has not been publicly named, has been in police custody since he allegedly ate the ornate jeweled octopus pendant at Partridge Jewelers in the city of Auckland on Nov. 28. He was arrested inside the store minutes after the alleged theft.

The 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.

A less glamorous photo supplied by New Zealand’s police Friday showed a gloved hand holding the recovered pendant, which was still attached to a long, gold chain with an intact price tag. A spokesperson said the necklace and the man would remain in police custody.

The man is due to appear in the Auckland District Court on Dec. 8. He made a first appearance on Nov. 29, when he didn’t enter a plea to a charge of theft.

Since then, officers had been stationed round the clock with the man to wait for the evidence to emerge.

“Given this man is in Police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred,” Inspector Grae Anderson said in a statement on Wednesday.

The store’s website says the egg, one of only 50 made, is crafted from gold, painted with green enamel and encrusted with 183 diamonds and two sapphires. The pendant is 8.4 centimeters (3.3 inches) tall and is mounted on a stand.

“The egg opens to reveal an 18ct yellow gold octopus nestled inside, adorned with white diamond suckers and black diamond eyes,” an item description said. “The octopus surprise pays homage to the eponymous antagonist at the center of the ‘Octopussy’ film.”

Charlotte Graham-mclay, The Associated Press