TELUK INTAN, MALAYSIA: By day, he was a well-liked person, generally perceived as a good role-model for the young, as he worked hard and sold pisang goreng (banana fritters) in Taman Seri Intan.

But when night came, the 23-year-old was a burglar, who had already broken into at least seven houses in Kampung Bahagia, Taman Mewah and Taman Seri Emas.

His double life was brought to a halt after three restaurant staff caught him in the act of breaking into the house of their owner along Jalan Maharaja Lela in Taman Mewah on Thursday.

The man tried to escape by running away and jumping into Sungai Perak, but the current was too strong, forcing the youth to return to the shore, said Goh.

He was handed over to the police. Investigations revealed he had been carrying out his activities for a year.