An 18-year-old thief in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, left a letter saying the house he had just broken into was "cozy but a poor home", which made him feel sad and angry.

He also left a list of things that he took plus his cell phone number, in case the owner wanted to reclaim her things.

The owner found the message after she returned from a business trip on April 21.

Police arrested the thief when she arranged a meeting with him.

Zhang confessed to 30 burglaries and said he usually left a message of blackmail if he didn't find any valuables.

Yanzhao Metropolis Daily