Florida police have to wait for the “foreign objects” to pass through Jaythan Gilder’s digestive system before confirming they are the stolen earrings, officials said.

A suspected thief gulped down two pairs of diamond earrings during his arrest on the side of a Florida Panhandle highway last week, detectives say, leaving them with the unenviable task of waiting to “collect” the Tiffany & Co.

The man allegedly swallowed two pairs of earrings worth $769,500 (£597,000) hoping to avoid being charged with theft.