The thief, surnamed Zhang, 32, used the magnet to fish out hundreds of coins from the fountain earlier this week at the Dinglin Temple in Jiangning district in Jiangsu province of China.
But Zhang's attempt was foiled when monks patrolling the temple spotted him stealing coins. Zhang attempted to flee, but was caught by monks who turned him over to police.
Zhang initially denied stealing the coins but confessed after police pointed out his bag was wet and contained the same type of leaves floating in the fountain, 'Global Times' reported.