Abu Dhabi: An Egyptian man stole a mobile phone, photographed himself and posted his picture on the victim’s Facebook account, which led the police to quickly arrest the perpetrator, local media reported.
The incident happened two days ago when the man stole the phone of a dealer in a Sohag market in Egypt’s southern governorate.
The victim was surprised by the thief using his Facebook account registered on the stolen phone, and posting his photo on it.
The photo sparked memes on social media, where the man was described as “sheer stupid”, after the title of a famous comedy movie starred by Egyptian actor Hani Ramzy.
Police said the theft was quickly resolved and the man arrested with the help of the photo.
The suspect allegedly admitted that “while tampering with the phone, he photographed himself and mistakenly published his photo on the phone’s owner’s Facebook account.”
The accused was turned over to the Public Prosecution, pending trial.
Earlier this month, a motorcycle bornethief stole a journalist’s phone during live stream, and broadcast his face to thousands as it continued to film.
Journalist Mahmoud Ragheb of Al Youm Al Sabaa newspaper was live streaming a report about the recent earthquake in northern Egypt when the thief snatched his phone and sped away on a bike.
The robber’s face was revealed as the phone continued the live stream without his knowing it as Egyptian police arrested the man.
The thief was handed a one-year prison term, a Cairo court ruled on Thursday.
The court also sentenced a shop owner, who bought the stolen phone, to one month in prison, setting bail at EGP100 (about $6) pending an appeal.
The first defendant was convicted of robbery and driving the wrong direction on a road, while the second of knowingly buying stolen property.
Social media outlets were flooded with memes and jokes about the thief, who casually smoked a cigarette while riding his motorbike, checking behind him for pursuers.
The thief took several minutes to realise his mistake and turn off the phone, which allowed authorities to easily recognise him and make an arrest hours later.
Thousands of comments made fun of the robber, describing him as “the worst thief of the month,” “the most unfortunate thief in the world,” and on a “highway to jail.”
The video of the robbery amassed over 24 million views and nearly 50,000 comments in the following hours.
