Water Bottles Lead Police To ATM Thieves

Two men in Italy who robbed a courthouse ATM of €20,000, or about $28,000, have finally been caught because they left some used water bottles at the scene.

According to The Local, the two men allegedly broke into the Palace of Justice in Sanremo, Italy, for their daring heist. They wore masks and gloves and carefully managed to avoid being spotted by any cameras or security as they stealthily picked their way to the courthouse bar to steal some water bottles. Still undetected, they made their way to the ATM, which they opened with a blowtorch.

The thieves then cleverly used the stolen bottles of water to cool down the ATM so they could get the cash out of it. Then they took off.

Police say it was almost a perfect crime, but the criminals "committed some fatal errors." While they avoided security and left no fingerprints, they did decide to drink from the water bottles they were using to cool the ATM, and then left those bottles behind when they escaped.

Police were able to run a DNA test on the bottles and trace the thieves' car from camera footage outside the courthouse, which gave them all the evidence they needed to capture the two men. Both thieves were arrested this week, though police say they're still on the lookout for a third partner, who they think was the mastermind behind the crime.