An odd-job worker who swiped a diamond ring by swallowing it, price tag and all, was jailed for 19 months, news reports said on Thursday. ( dpa )
The jeweller notified police who took Mohamad Azman Abdullah, 48, to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where doctors inserted a long tube down Azman's throat and into his stomach, The Straits Times said.
Using instruments, they fished out the 2,689-Singapore-dollar (1,934-US-dollar) ring in a procedure called an endoscopy, usually carried out without anaesthesia.
Azman, who has previous convictions for theft and drug consumption, appealed on Wednesday for leniency.
"At my age, a long imprisonment term will turn me into a confirmed jinx, a confirmed loser for the rest of my life," he was quoted as saying.
District Judge Sarjit Singh was told the staff at Taka Jewellery was watching Azman last October. They had found several rings missing after he stopped by the previous month.
Shown a tray of rings, Azman was spotted hooking one with a finger and popped it into his mouth. A supervisor called the police.
The judge ordered the ring returned to the jeweller.