A man arrested in connection with the theft of a priceless Fabergé egg has passed the artifact naturally after swallowing it to evade capture. The Geneva Police Department confirmed the unusual recovery on Tuesday. The suspect remains in custody as the delicate object undergoes examination.
The incident began last weekend. A brazen theft occurred at a private gallery in Geneva’s city center. Security officials reported the disappearance of a miniature imperial egg, a piece valued at nearly two million dollars. The suspect, a 47-year-old man whose name has not been released, was apprehended by authorities just hours later based on security footage, but the egg was nowhere to be found on his person.
An Unconventional Hiding Place
Police were perplexed. An extensive search of the man and his belongings yielded nothing. It was his visible discomfort and evasive answers that led investigators to suspect an internal concealment. They obtained a warrant for a medical examination, which included an X-ray of his abdomen. The resulting scan showed a clear, egg-shaped object lodged within his digestive tract, confirming their bizarre theory.
The man had panicked during the heist. Fearing imminent discovery, he made the dangerous decision to swallow the 2.5-inch artifact, crafted from solid gold, enamel, and inlaid with sharp-edged diamonds. Medical professionals were immediately brought in to monitor the situation, concerned about the potential for severe internal injury. The suspect was transferred to a secure hospital wing where he was kept under constant observation.
“The recovery method was unconventional, but ultimately successful,” stated a spokesperson for the Geneva Police. “The object has been retrieved without surgical intervention. Our primary concern was the suspect’s safety, followed by the preservation of the evidence.”
A Delicate and Slow Recovery
What followed was a tense waiting game for both law enforcement and medical staff. Doctors determined that a natural passing was the safest course of action, provided no complications arose. For two days, the man was given a special diet to aid the object’s passage. Every moment was a calculated risk, with the priceless artifact on a slow journey through the human body.
The recovery finally happened on Tuesday morning. The egg was immediately secured by officers and sent to a special laboratory for analysis. Curators and art experts are now carefully inspecting the piece for any damage caused by its journey. The strong acids and pressures of the digestive system could have potentially harmed the delicate enamel work or loosened the diamond settings. The results of this analysis will be critical for the prosecution’s case and the gallery’s insurance claim.
Charges and Consequences
The suspect now faces a mix of serious charges. Prosecutors are building a case that will likely include several major offenses. The gallery has expressed relief that the object is back in safe hands but has declined to comment on the state of the artifact until the expert review is complete.
Legal experts suggest the man’s actions have significantly complicated his legal situation. He is expected to be charged with:
- Grand Larceny
- Possession of Stolen Property
- Destruction of Evidence (Potentially)
- Reckless Endangerment (for the risk he posed to himself)
The fate of the Fabergé egg is now in the hands of conservators. The fate of the man who turned his body into a safe deposit box rests with the Swiss courts. This case serves as a strange proof of the extreme lengths criminals will go to, and the even stranger methods police must sometimes use to recover what was lost.