A New Zealand thief with expensive tastes has been arrested after he stole and swallowed a green, diamond-encrusted Fabergé egg from an upscale jewelery store, authorities said on Thursday (04/12/2025).
The 32-year-old man swallowed the egg last week in a store in Auckland, the country’s largest city, but was arrested before fleeing.
Police said Wednesday that they had not yet recovered the decorative piece, worth $20,000, but had assigned an officer to monitor it while waiting for nature to take its course.
“At the present time, the piece has not been recovered,” police said in a statement.
Faberge egg
The egg is a special edition inspired by the James Bond movie “Octopus,” which revolves around a plan to steal a Fabergé egg.
“The exterior of the egg closely follows the design of the Fabergé egg featured in the film Octopussy, with a beautiful 18-karat gold mesh frame delicately decorated with blue sapphires and white diamonds in a flower design,” the online description reads.
It also has a small octopus inside.
The Russian house Fabergé achieved international fame in the late 19th century by designing large Easter eggs decorated with gold and precious stones.
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