Tom Lodge, of Witwatersrand University, estimates that some 2-5% of public money is being filched.

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Most such cases have involved material filched from ill-guarded sites in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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Now, as their filched supplies begin to run out, they are forced to pay huge mark-ups to profiteers, or go hungry.

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Caroline pulls on the loose straps of her backpack, a filched Pinkie Pie, its tail braided, its eyes pocked by a pen point, now zipped into one of the many compartments.

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Eventually, he gets himself in a position to survey the surveyors and hunt the hunters, but all he wants is the return of his identity, which was filched from him during his training.

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