: "Chicken and rice ends Kolkata's thief's toilet trauma
Sun Aug 5, 2007 3:24 PM IST

KOLKATA (Reuters) - Dozens of bananas failed to do the trick but an Indian thief has finally produced a gold necklace he had snatched and then swallowed after police fed him a hearty meal of chicken, rice and local bread.

Sheikh Mohsin, 35, grabbed the 45,000-rupee necklace from a woman in Kolkata on Friday and popped it into his mouth when cornered by police.

Officers then fed him 40 bananas over a few hours believing they would act as a purgative, and sat back and waited for results.

Mohsin passed an uncomfortable night in jail, but not the piece of jewellery.

Police said on Sunday he was then given more substantial fare.

'Now he wants to go free and doesn't want to even hear about bananas any more,' senior officer Gyanwant Singh told Reuters.

A tired and rueful Mohsin was, however, staring at 3 years in jail if convicted, Singh added.

'Bananas were good enough for another thief who had swallowed an ornament a few months ago, but Mohsin was definitely a tough cookie,' said one clearly impressed police constable."