The unnamed suspect, who shares a house with five other women, was identified with a DNA test as being the thief.

The owner of the drink said it had been consumed without her permission. She found the bottle in the bin and asked her flatmates who drank it, Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS reports.

But when none of the students came forward to admit consuming the snack, worth £1.50, she informed the police who accepted to undertake an investigation.

They took DNA samples from each flatmate to find the culprit, at a cost of NT$3,000 (£76) per person, funded by the taxpayer.

One local, Mr Liu, told the Apple Daily newspaper: “It is a waste of society’s resources. If I was a police officer, I would have just bought her a bottle to reimburse her.”