Italian burglar caught red handed while reading book in middle of house robbery

In a dramatic turn of events, a burglar was caught red-handed while engrossed in a Greek mythology book during a house robbery in Rome.

The 28-year-old burglar set out to complete a theft, but his interest in books foiled his mission. 

He climbed the balcony of a flat in Rome’s Prati district and became so engrossed in a Greek mythology book on a bedside table during the heist that he forgot about the theft.

Meanwhile, the homeowner woke up from his sleep and caught the thief red-handed.

The burglar attempted to escape through the balcony window, but he failed, and a few minutes later, the police arrived and detained him.

The burglar denied that he was there to steal, instead, he told the police he thought the house belonged to an acquaintance.

"I thought I had ended up in a B&B, saw the book, and started to read it," he said.

When Giovanni Nucci, the author of the book “The Gods at Six O'Clock,” learned about the incident, he told a local Italian newspaper that he wanted to send the burglar a copy of the book.

"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,” Nucci said.

"It's a surreal story, but also full of humanity," he added. 

The police discovered a bag belonging to the thief. The bag contained luxury clothes  that he allegedly took from a robbery earlier that night.