Police in Texas are searching for three men after they stole a $4,200 (£3,410) liquor bottle – but the joke seems to be on the thieves, because it was actually a decoy.
It's a story that sounds like it would belong in some sort of spy movie, but which actually took place in real life in the afternoon of 23 May at a liquor store in Houston.
CCTV footage from the shop showed the three men walking into the store and crowding around a locked display case that contained bottles of alcohol.
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See what happened next below:
The group of men are said to have enquired about a $4,200 bottle of alcohol that was on display, at which point an employee came over and unlocked the cabinet. The worker took out the bottle to show the customers, which is when one of the men grabbed the expensive bottle and fled the store.
As he ran away, another of the men picked up another box of the same alcohol and made his way towards the exit while the employee appeared to chase them.
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The three men have not yet been caught, but thankfully their theft didn't have as much of an impact on the store as they might initially have presumed.
Following the incident, which took place at about 2.00pm local time, the store said the man holding the box ended up dropping it before exiting, possibly because he realised it was empty. Meanwhile, the bottle thought to be worth $4,200 was actually a decoy worth far less.
Police are appealing for information about the suspects, one of whom was wearing a white pullover, black shorts, a white cap and white shoes. The second suspect was wearing a black Nike pullover, dark shorts and blue shoes, while the third had a visible goatee and wore a black jacket with blue jeans.
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Crime Stoppers of Houston are offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to an arrest of the men involved and are urging anyone with information to contact them directly.
"Information leading to the charging and/or arrest of any felony suspects may result in a cash payment up to $5,000. Tipsters MUST contact Crime Stoppers DIRECTLY to remain anonymous and to be considered for a cash payment by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477), submitting an online tip at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app," the organisation explains.
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