6 A Brazilian robber went to rob a bank but got robbed himself – twice. He then went to a police station to report the crime and got arrested on the spot.

Mauricio Fierro, a Brazilian robber, was robbed twice in the same night. The bizarre event took place when Fierro parked his car in front of a pharmacy that he wanted to rob. He left the engine running so he could quickly flee with his ill-gotten gains. As he was collecting the cash from the pharmacy, another thief sprinted over to his vehicle and made off with it. After a while, Fierro came back from the shop carrying a bag of money only to find his escape car was no longer there. While he looked around, another man grabbed his loot and made off.

Angry at being robbed, he went to the police station to report the crime. But when he was there, he bumped into the pharmacy owner whom he had just robbed. Police arrested him on the spot and then allowed a local television news crew into the station for an interview. While speaking to the reporters, Fierro moaned about the “insecurity” of the city. He also said and that he had not been able to enjoy his car, which had cost him “a lot of blood, sweat, and tears” to obtain. When the reporters asked him whether he had bought the car or not, Fierro revealed that he had in fact stolen it the day before.(source)

7 A cat burglar in China got caught when he was left dangling while attempting to squeeze through a fifth-floor window.

When a Chinese burglar tried to break into an apartment, he got caught in the most unlucky way. He was trying to enter the apartment through a window. But the size of the window proved to be a bit too small for him, and he got stuck. Police and firefighters arrived at the scene and started to help him. One rescue worker climbed out of the window and pushed the man back inside. It took them a half hour to get the would-be thief safely into custody.(1,2)

8 Robber James Allan got caught when, in a fury, he revealed his face to a security camera because he couldn’t figure out how to open the door of the store he was robbing.

There are many things that can go wrong in an armed robbery, and figuring how to open a door is likely to be least of the problems. However, it was a door that led to the undoing of criminal James Allan when he had trouble working out which way it opened. Allen robbed a shop in 2012 disguised in a baklava and then tried to get out through the door. But he failed to distinguish the difference between the door’s “push” and “pull” mechanism. After a lot of tries, the frustrated 28-year-old took off his balaclava – only to reveal his face to the store’s CCTV camera. Out of frustration, he kicked a panel near the door and knocked over a display, then fell to the ground exhausted. He then demanded the store manager to let him out.

After the store manager opened the door, Allan ran out. He was found by the police on the same road three hours later with the balaclava in his pocket.(source)

9 A car thief in South Africa got himself auto-locked in the car while trying to steal it and got caught.

This incident took place in South Africa’s capital city Pretoria near the North Gauteng High Court. The owner of the car parked it at this location and then walked away. As soon as she walked away, a man used a jamming device and got into the car. But the auto-lock system of the car locked him inside and he couldn’t get out. As the man started to panic, he asked passersby for help, saying he was one of the city’s many car guards. The police were called in, but the man was stuck inside for more than an hour-and-a-half before the owner returned and unlocked the vehicle.(source)

10 Taliban commander, Mohammad Ashan, turned himself in to the police claiming $100 as finder’s reward after misunderstanding a wanted poster featuring his face.

A Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashan, proved to be the world’s dumbest terrorist after attempting to claim a $100 reward for turning himself in. The incident took place in 2012 when Mohammad Ashan strolled towards a police checkpoint in the Sar Howza district of Paktika Province. He had brought along with him a wanted poster bearing a picture of his own face and demanded the finder’s fees. According to officials, Ashan had misunderstood the meaning of “wanted.” Officers arrested Ashan on the spot.

Biometric checks confirmed that the man Afghan police were holding was the alleged insurgent U.S. troops had been looking for. He was suspected of plotting at least two attacks on Afghan security forces. SPC Matthew later told the press: “We asked him, ‘Is this you?’ and Mohammad Ashan answered with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, ‘Yes, yes, that’s me! Can I get my award now?’ “(1,2)