However they were amazed to find the man had actually swallowed hundreds of coins and nails.

Over a three year period Rajpal Singh, 34, had swallowed 140 coins, 150 nails and a handful of nuts, bolts and batteries.

He had also gulped down screws, nails and magnets.

When doctors carried out an endoscopy – inserting a long, thin, tube with a camera attached to the end – it revealed the hundreds of foreign objects in his stomach.

Mr Singh, a farmer from Bathinda in India's western state of Punjab, said his bizarre habit began after he fell into a depression, and eating metal objects brought him comfort.

'Due to family problems I had slipped into depression and got hooked onto this weird habit.

'Doctors have told me those sharp objects would have punctured my intestine and I would have eventually died.

'I feel much more relaxed now. I am never going to do this again.'

Mr Singh claims he didn't realise his stomach pain was due to his habit of eating metal objects.

He went to many medical centres in Punjab complaining of a painful ache in his abdomen, but no doctors could diagnose the problem.

Finally, Dr Gagandeep Goyal, a gastroentologist at a local hospital, carried out an X-ray and revealed the mass of metal deep in Mr Singh's stomach.

He has since carried out more than 240 endoscopy procedures to remove the objects - yet some still remain.

(Daily mail)