India: Mumbai police recover gold chain from thief's poo after force feeding him 48 bananas

Police in the western Indian city of Mumbai recovered a stolen gold chain from a chain snatcher's excreta. The chain had to be ejected by force feeding the thief with four dozen bananas, a local media report said.

The accused, Gopi R Ghaware, snatched a 25gm gold chain from a woman's neck in Ghatkopar fish market in the city's eastern suburban area last week. He ran away with the chain but swallowed it while being chased by police, investigating officer Kailash Tirmare of Pant Nagar Police Station said, according to the Hindustan Times.

On being caught, Ghaware admitted to swallowing the chain. The police took him to a nearby hospital where an X-ray revealed that a metallic object was present in his abdomen.

Another X-ray was arranged which confirmed the earlier report, the official said, adding that the police then ordered a basketful of bananas and asked Ghaware to eat them overnight and till the morning.

The next morning, four policemen escorted the accused to the lavatory where Ghaware passed out the stolen chain. The whole incident was also filmed by the cops, the report said.

Ghaware was ordered to disinfect the chain by washing it with phenyl. The accused was arrested and produced in court after the stolen object was retrieved. He remains detained until the next hearing.

According to the report, force feeding bananas to thieves to retrieve stolen items they swallow is a tested trick of the city police. In April last year, an accused was fed five dozen bananas to retrieve a gold chain worth Rs 60,000 (£616) but its large pendant got stuck in the thief's food pipe. The thief excreted three days after he was put on a special diet and liquids.

In another case in July 2015, a thief was able to pass out a chain worth Rs 30,000 (£ 308) after consuming 24 bananas and several litres of milk, the report said.