China Scene: East

Vigilante racks up record against thieves

Wu Yong, a man from Hunan province, has captured at least 100 pickpockets in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, since Nov 26, 2003, the day his cell phone was almost stolen.

Wu came to Nanjing after leaving the army in 2003. He was walking down the street when a boy stole his phone from his pocket. An expert in wrestling, Wu captured him immediately.

The incident proved transformational - Wu decided to devote himself to capturing pickpockets. He is otherwise unemployed and relies on his girlfriend's wages for a living.

He has had little trouble subduing most of the pickpockets he has faced, though there was an exception on July 21, 2004. He had stopped two thieves and was about to take them to a police station, when two friends of the robbers showed up and stabbed him in the back. He ended up with 14 stitches.

(Modern Express)

When time runs short, defenestration is an option

Wang and his wife were approaching their home in the Mufuyi community in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, when they noticed that the lights were on.

They assumed it might have been their son-in-law, who had called earlier to say he was planning to drop off some medicine. However, when they tried to open the door to their apartment, someone inside blocked their way. They called out their son-in-law's name, but nobody answered.

Wang called police and asked a locksmith to open the door. Accompanied by police, Wang and his wife entered their home and found that a thief had left the place in shambles.

The burglar ended up climbing out of the window with more than 10,000 yuan (about $1,400) in cash.

(Nanjing Morning News)

(China Daily 04/08/2008 page6)