Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A serial thief who has been stealing items including towels, shoes and underwear from a New Zealand school for over a year was finally caught on camera and identified as a literal cat burglar.
Marama Stewart, principal of the Apanui School in Whakatฤne, said items had been mysteriously disappearing from the school for over a year, particularly during the season while the pool was in use.
"Initially we noticed single shoes and goggles and undies and towels left along the footpath into the school," Stewart told Stuff.co.nz.
The school posted a video to Facebook when the thief was finally caught on a security camera. The footage shows a black cat dragging a large towel across the playground.
"When a pair of togs [swimming trunks] and a towel went missing, my office lady checked the cameras for our wee offender and he was witnessed, and a large stash was found at the back of the PE shed," Stewart said.
She said the school's groundskeeper made contact with the cat's owner, who confirmed their pet was a notorious thief.
"Can we say his owner wishes that he remains anonymous? We're calling him Slinky Malinki," Stewart said.
She said the thefts are a learning opportunity.
"I think we're going to have a lot of fun writing stories about our own school's Slinky Malinki," she said. "And it might help our kids to remember to put their things in their bag!"
