Bungling thief left his bag in Portsmouth student flat he burgled – and was caught when he went to retrieve it

Officers were taking details of what was stolen from the victim when the teenage thief returned to retrieve his bag.

Hampshire police's response officers took to Twitter to reveal how they had captured the 18-year-old after the break-in at a student flat in Sandringham Road, Portsmouth.

They tweeted: ‘A friend in the Met has a daughter at uni in Portsmouth who had her flat burgled recently.

‘The offender left his bag in her address and returned to claim it whilst officers were there taking her report. #gotcha #couldntmakeitup.’

A spokesman for Hampshire police confirmed a man had been arrested on suspicion of burglary after the incident.

He said: ‘The flat was entered and miscellaneous items including a wallet and some multi-tools were stolen.

‘An 18-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of burglary, and has been bailed until March 11.’