Thief Caught Reading Book During Burglary
Bookworms will always find time to read, even if they're trying to burgle a home.
On August 20, Italian police arrested a 38-year-old man who had been trying to burgle an apartment in Rome, when he was distracted by a book and decided to sit down to read it.
The book was The Gods at Six: The Iliad at Aperitif Time, a 2023 story about Greek mythology by Giovanni Nucci. According to reports, the would-be burglar had climbed over a balcony and entered the home before seeing the book on a table.
The intruder was interrupted from his reading when the 71-year-old man who owned the apartment woke up. After finding his unwanted guest, the homeowner called the police, and also called his neighbors for help.
The BBC reports that the intruder quickly left the home by climbing back over the balcony. However, he was caught by police in the area soon after.
The man told the police he had climbed into the building to visit a person he knew, reports the BBC. He was also found to have a bag full of expensive clothes, which are believed to have been stolen from another home.
In response to the story, Nucci, the author of The Gods at Six, said he wants to send the burglar a copy of his book.
Speaking to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, Nucci 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."
