Karaoke Crook's Smash and Grab Raid Comes to a Grimm End

After making the bizarre choice to steal a karaoke machine from a shop in the western city of Bochum, the bungling thief managed to rip open his winter coat in the hurried raid. As he fled the scene of the crime with his booty, he didn’t notice that his duck-down jacket was leaking feathers.

Just as the lost children in the Grimm tale used breadcrumbs to line their route into the forest, so the thief made a trail of feathers all the way to his front door.

Unfortunately, while Hansel and Gretel found that their route back had disappeared due to greedy birds, the fleeing crook had no such luck.

Trail of feathers lead cops to crook

On one of the more mild and still days of wintery January, the feather trail stayed put, giving the police a solid lead. After being alerted by an eyewitness, the police followed and arrested the shocked 36-year-old at his home.

"Luckily they were able to act before the next story was played out -- 'Gone with the Wind'," said Bochum police spokesman Frank Plewka. "All they had to do was follow the feathers."