A New Zealand man faces charges for a theft that is as audacious as it is bizarre: allegedly swallowing a diamond-encrusted Fabergé egg pendant in a high-end Auckland jewellery store last Friday.

The incident represents a shocking new frontier in property crime, where the suspect's own body is the alleged hiding place for the loot. The central challenge for authorities now is how to retrieve the precious locket, valued at over NZ$33,500 (approx. KES 2.5 million), which they confirm has not yet been recovered.

Auckland City Area Commander Grae Anderson noted that police were called to Partridge Jewellers on the afternoon of November 29th. Officers arrived within minutes and arrested the 32-year-old suspect inside the store. The man was charged with theft and has been remanded in custody, according to court documents.

A Priceless Prize

The object at the center of this strange affair is no ordinary piece of jewellery. It is the Fabergé x 007 Special Edition Octopussy Egg Surprise Locket, a collector's item inspired by the 1983 James Bond film.

According to the luxury brand, the pendant is a masterpiece of craftsmanship:

• Fashioned from 18-karat yellow gold.
• Decorated with a rich green guilloché enamel.
• Set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires.

True to the Fabergé tradition of surprise, the egg opens to reveal a miniature 18-karat gold octopus with two black diamond eyes, a direct nod to the film's namesake.

To put its value in perspective for the Kenyan reader, the KES 2.5 million price tag is equivalent to the cost of a new car or a significant down payment on a home. The US dollar value is approximately $19,200.

The ultimate fate of the miniature masterpiece now depends on biology as much as the law, leaving authorities and the jewellery world watching for a very unusual kind of recovery.