In a twist straight out of a literary plot, a burglar in Italy was apprehended earlier this week after he paused mid-robbery to read a book about Homer’s Iliad.
While engrossed in the book, the burglar was interrupted when the homeowner awoke and confronted him.
Startled, the thief fled through the balcony — the same entrance he had used to access the flat.
According to the BBC, the 38-year-old thief had broken in and discovered the book lying on a bedside table.
He became so engrossed in reading it that he lost sight of his original criminal intent.
Source: Erdi Kahraman on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Unfortunately for him, the 71-year-old homeowner soon stirred and confronted the intruder.
The thief made a frantic attempt to escape through the balcony but was quickly apprehended by authorities.
He told police he had climbed the building to visit a friend and thought he had ended up in a B&B, leading him to pause and read the book.
Authorities also discovered a bag of expensive clothing in his possession, allegedly stolen from another house earlier that evening.
News that his book thwarted a robbery reached Giovanni Nucci, the author behind ‘The Gods at Six O’Clock’.
This work offers a unique retelling of Homer’s Iliad from the viewpoint of the Greek gods.
Source: PicClick IT
Nucci was both amused and flattered by the incident.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “I’d like to find the person caught red-handed and give him the book, because he’ll have been arrested halfway through reading it. I’d like him to be able to finish it.”
Adding a humorous twist, Nucci noted his fondness for Hermes, the Greek god of thieves and literature.
“It is clear: everything fits,” he quipped.
Also read: ‘Please help me look out for thief’: Blind busker in Yishun puts up sign after getting money stolen
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Featured image adapted from Erdi Kahraman on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
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