On 24 February the north Queensland town of Bowen lost its prized possession – the big mango, and chicken franchise Nando’s has taken the wrap.

In a bid to relocate the three-storey tourist attraction staff at Bowen’s tourist information centre, where the mango is normally housed, sent out CCTV footage, photos and media releases.

Intriguingly, the media release was linked to a Sydney-based advertising agency, which was later found to count Nando’s among its many clients.

The mystery unravelled today when a man by the name of Bob called ABC radio in Queensland to inform presenter Paula Tapiolas that he had found the mango in a paddock behind the tourist centre, reports The Guardian Australia.

“There’s an old road that leads up into the scrub from the back of the information centre,” he said.

“What they’ve done is put it on a truck and taken it up there and laid it on its side in the bush, and at the end that’s facing towards Bowen they’ve covered it up with tree branches and shade cloths so nobody can see it.”

A spokesperson for Bowen police told Business Insider Australia the mango was never officially reported as stolen.

“We never received a complaint and are not investigating any offences,” they said.

On its Facebook page Nando’s voiced its thanks to the town of Bowen for allowing it to “borrow” their mango, and implies a new mango flavoured product will be unveiled on Friday.

A catchy tagline has also been coined for the mystery event – “Big Mangogate.”

Check out how Nando’s removed the mango: