A thief broke into a house in Shanghai's Minhang district and lived in it for some time while the owner's family was away on holiday, even washing the laundry during their stay, Xinmin Evening Post reported.

The victim, surnamed Zhao, told the newspaper that her family went on holiday on Sept 30 and returned on the evening of Oct 3 to find the house had been burgled.

The place was in a mess; the LCD TV had been stolen and the air-conditioner had been removed from the wall but for some reason not taken away.

More surprisingly, the thief seemed to have lived in the house for some time, cooking in the kitchen and either eating or stealing some potatoes and eggs. The male owner's coats, pants and slippers had been stolen, while the owner's dirty clothes had been washed and hung to dry on the porch.

Police discovered drugs paraphernalia and a knife in the house, leading them to suspect that the housebreaker may be a drug addict.