A man in Myanmar spent more than a week digging an underground tunnel to break into a gold jewellery shop, successfully escaping with around 4kg of gold — only to be caught three days later after buying nothing more than a mobile phone.
Nine Days of Digging for a Daring Heist
According to reports from MeKong News and Sin Chew Daily, the unusual robbery took place in late September. The man, who worked at a car wash, began digging the tunnel on 15 September. He spent his days working and his nights tunnelling — except when it rained.
After nine days of effort, he finally broke through the shop floor around 5am on 28 September. CCTV footage showed him dressed entirely in black and wearing a headlamp as he entered the store quietly while its shutters were still closed. He then looted gold from display counters before escaping through the same tunnel.
The man later told police that he got the idea for the break-in after observing a collapsed sidewalk the year before. He had noticed that the underground piping system beneath local pavements was unusually spacious and decided to use a similar path to reach the jewellery shop undetected.
Caught Just Three Days Later
Despite the elaborate plan, his success was short-lived. Police arrested him on 1 October, merely three days after the robbery.
During questioning, the suspect admitted that he was unsure how much gold he had taken in total. He revealed that he had sold 551 grams of the stolen gold the day after the break-in, receiving about RMB463,000 (approximately S$83,800). Out of that, he hid RMB450,000 (about S$81,440) in his cupboard and used RMB2,000 (around S$360) to buy himself a new mobile phone — his only luxury purchase from the heist.
The jewellery shop owner later confirmed that roughly 4kg of gold had been stolen.
Police Recover Gold as Case Sparks Online Buzz
Authorities have since recovered the hidden cash and are investigating whether the man had any accomplices. The case has drawn widespread attention online, with many users expressing disbelief that someone who planned such a complex tunnel heist ended up using the stolen fortune only to buy a phone.
Some even jokingly compared him to characters from Money Heist — except without the “brains” to enjoy the loot.
While the attempted robbery demonstrated remarkable patience and determination, it also highlighted the futility of crime. After nine nights of digging, the man’s grand plan literally collapsed beneath him, ending not in riches, but in handcuffs.