A 45-year-old male presented to the surgical outpatient department with complaints of recurrent upper abdominal pain for 6 months following right hemicolectomy performed for carcinoma of the cecum. His bowel habit was regular. His routine blood investigations, including complete blood count, random blood sugar, liver and renal blood profile, and serology for viral markers, were normal. Tumour marker CEA was also normal. His vital parameters like blood pressure, pulse and respiratory were also normal. He underwent ultrasonography of the abdomen several times during this period. His physical examination revealed tenderness on the right upper quadrant. Rectal examination was normal. As he was habituated to chewing tobacco, we suspected some upper abdominal problems from the history, particularly either Helicobacter pylori gastritis or duodenal or gastric ulcer. He underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and we found a surgical gauze sponge within the stomach (Fig. 1). We attempted to retrieve it with a snare but, unfortunately, the snare became entangled within the material. We, therefore, decided to operate. At laparotomy, we noted an inflammatory reaction in the right hypochondrium. We removed the surgical mop through a small gastrotomy (Fig. 2). The postoperative course was unremarkable and the patient was discharged on the fifth postoperative day. He was on regular follow up for 6 months without any complication. The previous hospital was