A thief in Germany left a vital tip for local police when he broke into an office. The 15-year-old burglar left a slice of his finger which police used to track him down.

He helped to facilitate the investigation process. A police spokesman said, "We usually find fingerprints at the crime scene, but it's not every day that thieves leave the original there too."

The spokesman added that, "I don't know if the fellow asked for it (the fingertip) back afterwards." A broken window at the scene had severed his fingertip.

Police simply matched the finger with existing prints they had from a 15-year-old of Iraqi origin. The teenager initially denied the wrongdoing but later accepted responsibility after police showed him the forgotten piece of his finger.