New Delhi: In an unusual turn of events, a 38-year-old man in Rome was arrested by police after he halted his burglary to read a book on Greek mythology. The incident occurred in the Prati district, where the suspect reportedly gained entry to an apartment through a balcony. The thiefs criminal enterprise took an unexpected pause when he discovered a copy of Homers Iliad on a bedside table. Absorbed in the book, he was unaware that the 71-year-old homeowner had woken up and confronted him.Author offers supportThe bizarre episode drew the attention of Giovanni Nucci, author of The Gods at Six OClock, which offers a unique perspective on the Iliad. Nucci expressed a desire to send the thief a copy of his book to allow him to finish reading. Its a surreal story but also full of humanity, Nucci told local media.Thiefs explanationUpon being caught, the suspect attempted to flee through the same balcony but was quickly detained by the police. He claimed he had climbed the building to visit someone he knew and mistook the place for a bed and breakfast. I thought I had ended up in a B&B, saw the book, and started to read it, he reportedly said.In addition to the book, the suspect was found carrying a bag of expensive clothing, believed to be stolen from another property earlier in the evening. Nucci, whose favorite deity is Hermes—the god of thieves and literature—found a certain irony in the situation, noting, It all makes sense now.
