I've thought of this before, too bad it's illegal. IMO it should be legal. Robbers should not be there in first place and it would be a great way to get rid of some scum.
If it were me I'd probably make a closet that looks attractive and is deep. Perhaps a shelf at the end with lot of valuables or stuff that looks valuable. This would force the perp to walk to the end. The door would be setup so if there is motion at the end, it closes and locks, and a damper operates to divert the exhaust from the hot water tank or furnace to that room. Hot water tank is best as it operates all year round. If you want to accelerate the process you could have a valve that starts making hot water poor out into a sink to force the tank to kick on. Otherwise, the pilot alone should eventually do the trick.
He should not be there in first place.
But it's illegal, unfortunately. People kill mice, rats and other vermin that enter their home. Should be legal to treat crooks the same way imo.
In all seriousness, my idea would probably somewhat legally work if it's just made to look like the door knob was installed the wrong way and just never fixed. Could be one of those doors that has a piston to close automatically. The closely spaced studs and the plywood would probably require some explaining though, but you could just say it's to make it easier to install shelves, or something.
Under 21 years old boy running naked through the streets, drunk, begging for help, and the cops just turn him over to his supposed gay lover.
Yep, makes perfect sense to me.
To be fair to the cops, I dont the kid spoke english, so the cops could not tell what was being said. Running through the streets naked, acting distressed, should have caused a "little" concern with the cops though.

 
				
		