The Mumbai police force-fed a thief four dozen bananas to recover a gold chain he had stolen and swallowed to avoid getting caught, an officer said on Saturday. Late Wednesday night, in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar, the accused snatched a woman's gold chain and bolted. He was caught by locals and thrashed, before being handed over to the police.

An x-ray conducted the following morning revealed a metallic object in the 25-year-old man’s stomach. The police then ordered a basketful of bananas and forced Ghaware to eat them. Early on Friday, four policemen escorted him to the bathroom and filmed the retrieval of the chain, according to an IANS report. They then ordered him to wash it with phenyl, before arresting him.

This is not the first time the Mumbai police has used such a technique to retrieve stolen items swallowed by thieves. Last April, a thief was fed five dozen bananas and liquids in an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve a gold chain whose large pendant got stuck in his food pipe. The thief finally excreted it three days later after following a special diet. In July, a thief successfully relieved himself of a mangalsutra after eating two dozen bananas, laxatives and several litres of milk.