THE DIY DETECTOR

In Sao Paulo, Brazil, police used a colander and a photocopying machine to trick a dim-witted robber into confessing to a crime. Convinced of his guilt but lacking sufficient evidence to convict the man, the police placed a colander on the man's head, attached wires from it to a photocopying machine and told the robber that it was a lie detector. If the police suspected that the robber was not telling the truth, the sergeant would press a button on the photocopier and a sheet of paper would come out with "Lie" printed on it. If they thought he was telling the truth, the sergeant would quickly change the sheet of paper with one that said "True". After several questions, the robber, convinced that the machine was indeed a lie detector, signed a confession to a series of crimes, including some that the policemen had been unaware of.

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