Former Bulgarian Ambassador to the US Elena Poptodorova has resigned as head of the American Jewish Committee's office in Warsaw, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Earlier, Poptodorova was detained in the Polish capital for stealing cosmetics worth USD 400. It was later reported that the arrest came three days after she had walked out of the shop with the goods in her hand. 

"Police said Elena Poptodorova, the director of the AJC’s Warsaw office for Central Europe, admitted her guilt after stepping out of a duty-free shop on Monday holding cosmetics worth about 0. She announced her resignation from AJC in the wake of the incident."

Poptodorova had told 24 Chasa daily the incident had been a "misunderstanding" which followed a call from her seriously ill mother. She got out of the shop to pick up the phone, unaware she still had the products in her hand.

“The woman pleaded guilty, gave back the stolen items, voluntarily surrendered punishment and after that she was dismissed,” the JTA quotes Warsaw police as saying.

According to the agency, Poptodorova stepped down for personal reasons.