YANGON, Oct. 5 -- In what might be the most ambitious - and least financially astute - robbery in recent memory, a man in Myanmar spent nine days digging a tunnel to break into a gold jewellery shop, only to be apprehended three days after his haul.

The 4kg of gold he stole, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, apparently proved irresistible only long enough for him to buy a mobile phone.

The rest he stashed at home, presumably to admire from a safe distance.

According to Shin Chew Daily, citing MeKong News, the man, a car wash employee by day, spent his nights tunnelling under the street outside the shop.

His inspiration came from a collapsed sidewalk he had observed in 2024, which revealed a surprisingly spacious underwater pipin...