A trio of Peruvian thieves managed to make international news headlines after pulling off one of the dumbest heists in history – 220 sneakers from various brands, all for the right foot.

The hilarious crime occurred on April 30th, at a sports goods store in Huancayo, central Peru. At around 03:30 am, three men managed to cut the padlocks at the back of the store and steal three large crates filled with sneaker boxes from various brands. What the thieves didn’t realize was that all the shoeboxes they stole only contained sneakers for the right foot, as the owner had prepared the three crates to have the footwear displayed at a local sports goods fair. Authorities suspect that the thieves have hidden their haul, as there is no way that they can sell the sneakers on the black market without their pairs.

Photo: Alex Haney/Unsplash

“We have carried out the inspection at the scene, the particular thing about this theft is that only right-foot sneakers have been stolen,” Eduan Díaz, head of the Junín police region, told América Noticias, adding that it’s just a matter of time before the thieves are identified, as they were caught on surveillance cameras in the area, and have left their prints at the crime scene.

Even with the left sneakers still in their possession, the owner of the store estimates losses of around $13,000, unless the 220 stolen sneakers are recovered, because, just like the thieves, he can’t sell the sneakers individually.

 

The sneaker store had only been open for a few months but is one of several to be burglarized recently. In mid-April, the National Police of Peru captured a thief who had made off with six sacks full of sneakers from a shoe store in Ica, a city in southern Peru.

“Surely they wanted to sell it at half price,” one Twitter user joked.