A thief who hid under a bed but then fell asleep was discovered when he ground his teeth as he slept, Modern Gold Daily reported on Wednesday.

The thief, 18, surnamed Zhang, who comes from Sichuan province and worked as a migrant employee in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, left his job at a factory in August and had no income.

Zhang stole a computer and some money from a room at the factory workers' dormitory on Oct 17 and Oct 22.

On Oct 28, Zhang went to the room again at night but had to hide under a bed as the occupant, a woman surnamed Liu, returned. He fell asleep but the sound of his teeth-grinding awoke Liu who roused colleagues next door to help her catch Zhang.

Zhang told police he had stolen on two occasions. The case is under further investigation.