Suspected French thief caught after phone-drop fiasco

A suspected thief is in custody in a Paris suburb after dropping his phone during a burglary - and then calling it in an attempt to get it back, French media say.

Le Parisien newspaper says the intruder fled after being surprised by the resident of a Colombes flat on Friday.

The suspect made off with a laptop but lost his phone while running away.

Minutes later, the paper says, he rang his own number and offered to hand back the laptop in exchange for the phone.

When he returned later that morning, the suspect - described as a minor - was arrested by waiting officers.