MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) – A nine-year-old boy has emptied his parents’ piggy bank, spending almost $4,000 on candy in the Ukrainian city of Konotop, the Ukrainian edition of Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda daily said on Wednesday.

A total of $3,300 and 500 euro (about $600) - the family's entire savings - went missing from the stash which was kept hidden under a sofa.

“The disappearance was first spotted by the father, a shift worker who had just returned home,” said Tatyana Kushnerova of the local police department. “He opened the stash and saw that it was empty.”

After a brief family row, their son admitted stealing the money, saying he wanted to buy some sweets.

During his autumn vacation, the boy took various sums of money from the stash and converted them into Ukrainian hryvnas with the help of an adult acquaintance. The man, who has been diagnosed with a mental disorder, always received the biggest note for his services.

As the boy was unable to eat all the candy he bought, he shared it with friends.