Over a period of a few decades, a German janitor employed by Stuttgart City managed to steal a total of 25 tonnes of office supplies which he kept in his home.

The employee, now 69 years old, retired in 2007. During the years he was employed by the city government, he brought home ordinary office supplies, stationery, cleaning materials, brooms, brushes, toilet paper, paper towels, aluminum boxes and ladders.

He stashed the pilfered items in his living room, then cellar, storeroom and garden shed. Although the items were estimated to have cost six figures, the man apparently had no intention to sell the filched goods.

Police were informed of the theft through an anonymous tip. They started cataloguing the items and returned it to its proper owner, the city council. Most of the items are good as new.

The man is not expected to be arrested or be on the run because most of the stealing he had done have come under the statute of limitations.

Studies have shown that 75 per cent of employees admit to stealing office supplies for use at home, resulting in an estimated $50 billion in annual losses for U.S. companies. However, most of them take only small items such as ball pens and post-it notes, although some workers have moved to bigger ticket items such as laptops, office furniture and reporting false time sheet entries and bloated expenses.