Police nab suspect carrying point-of-sale machine to rob victims

A suspected robber caught by police in Hohhot, the capital of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Friday was carrying a point-of-sale machine in case his victims had no cash.

The 30-year-old man, surnamed Xia, was caught by police while robbing a female driver, China News Service reported on Sunday.

Police found Xia in possession of a point-of-sale machine and a dagger. He asked victims who had no cash on them to swipe their bank cards on the machine, or transfer money to him through WeChat.

They said Xia admitted committing three robberies between Jan 10 and 25.

Police said Xia worked in a barbecue restaurant after being released from prison for robbery. But he lost his job when the restaurant closed down on Jan 10 and started robbing again to pay off his credit card bills.

Xie Jianing contributed to this story.