A "thief" – the term being used in the widest possible sense – in the Niksar district of Tokat province in Turkey's Black Sea region suffered a chain of events that can be attributed in part to exceptionally bad luck and his own clumsiness.

Reports indicate that the suspect, O.Ö., 29, broke into the office of a workplace at an industrial site by breaking a window and stole TL 1,000 ($72.39) from a cash register. He then proceeded to drop and lose the money while attempting to get away.

Not undone with this failure, he then stole a car parked in front of another workplace in the same industrial site, which then broke down and was forced to abandon the vehicle at a petrol station.

Many people may have taken these two events on the same night as an opportunity to contemplate what they have just done – or in his case could not really do – and use it as a chance to reform their lives for the better, ultimately leaving their evil ways behind them.

But not O.Ö.

Still not giving up despite his unsuccessful attempts at becoming a thief, the suspect headed off to the city center on the same night. There he struck again, breaking the glass – to his credit something he seems to have down pat – of the door of a market in the district center, took a safe – yes the whole thing – and tried to run off with it.

However, there was a problem. The safe that the suspect stole from the market and was later found next to a wall in a nearby alley, was empty – strike three.

When this third burglary was reported to police, it comes as no surprise that the clumsy suspect was caught by police within a short period of time.

O.Ö. was subsequently arrested by judicial authorities after his statement at the police station and is currently being held in custody.

Crime definitely does not pay.