A jewellery seller was stunned to find that a rat took away a pack of diamond ear studs and scurried off back into the ceiling of his store.

The incident took place on March 2 at a jewellery shop in Patna, Bihar state. The shop's owner Dheeraj Kumar found two diamond ear tops missing from his shop the next day.

Initially he believed his shop staff may have had a hand in the disappearance, but was shocked to discover on CCTV footage that it was a stray rat that stole the diamond ear.

The jewellery has not been found since.

According to the shopkeeper, the rat, which in Hindu religion is the vehicle Ganesh, had stolen the earring to give to Ganesh's mother goddess Parvati for an auspicious occasion.