In what appears to be a scene straight out of a Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay short story, a burglar in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, ended up dozing off during a robbery — only to be caught red-handed the following morning.
The incident occurred in the Nazirabad police station area of the city. The accused had broken into a house at night, forcefully opened the locker, and packed valuables including cash, jewellery, and other items into a bag. Not content with the loot from one property, he ventured into another nearby house and helped himself to more goods.
But what followed could only be described as literary irony.
Exhausted from his exploits, the thief found an empty bed in the second house and decided to rest for a while. However, fatigue overtook caution, and he slipped into a deep sleep.
At dawn, the homeowner, Anil, awoke to find an unfamiliar man asleep in his bed. Shocked, he quickly pieced together the situation and alerted other family members. Upon checking the burglar’s bag, they discovered the missing jewellery, cash, and stolen belongings.
The police were immediately contacted. Officers from Nazirabad Police Station arrived at the scene and woke the sleeping burglar before placing him under arrest.
Case Details
| Location | Nazirabad, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| Incident | Theft followed by burglar falling asleep |
| Time Discovered | Early morning |
| Homeowner | Anil (surname not disclosed) |
| Evidence Recovered | Cash, jewellery, and valuables in burglar’s bag |
| Police Action | Thief arrested at the scene |
| Initial Theory | Accused was possibly intoxicated, leading to unintentional sleep |
The accused has been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, and police suspect he may have been under the influence of alcohol, which likely contributed to his drowsiness mid-heist.
A heist derailed not by police, but by sleep — the thief’s folly serves as a cautionary tale: crime doesn’t pay, especially if you’re too tired to make a clean getaway.
