A 21-year-old burglar who hid overnight in a shopping mall to rob a gold shop was arrested Tuesday morning after trapping himself inside the store.

Police arrested Aesara inside the Yaowarat gold shop in a Chiang Mai mall after staff found him unable to escape, according to Thai English daily The Nation.

He admitted to scouting the location for three days before attempting the heist and traveling from Na Noi district in Nan province for the job.

“The suspect parked his motorcycle at a petrol station opposite the mall before entering at 5 pm on Monday,” said Pol Col Yannapol Pattanachai, commander of Mae Ping police station.

After concealing himself until closing time, Aesara changed into a black outfit and wore a Ghostface mask from the Scream film franchise to avoid security cameras.

He then forced open the gold shop’s retractable iron gate with a metal bar and locked himself inside.

However, his plan fell apart when, after collecting several gold necklaces, he realised he could not lift the gate from inside due to its proximity to the display counter.

Unable to find another exit, he remained trapped overnight and eventually gave up.

When staff arrived in the morning, they found him still inside, secured the entrance with an extra lock, and called the police, leading to his immediate arrest.