China
22:57, 21-Dec-2018
Wanted Chinese scammer seized while wearing ‘beyond the arm of the law’ hoodie
Updated
22:27, 24-Dec-2018
["other"]
Share
Copied
Those on the wrong side of the law should think twice about what fashion statements they make, because they might end up on the right side of the prison bars.
A fraud suspect in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, was arrested earlier this week after he drew police attention with his black hoodie emblazoned in white with the message "Beyond the arm of the law."
The 19-year-old man, surnamed Zhong, was spotted on Monday as he sent a friend off at a railway station, Shanghai-based The Paper reported.
Railway police guards felt suspicious about the young man, and decided to check his identity card, only to discover that he is wanted for fraud.
The man from east China's Jiangxi Province reportedly worked at a loan company in Yiwu, and colluded with two others to swindle clients out of their money.
The black hoodie with the message: “Beyond the arm of the law” written in Mandarin. /Photo via thepaper.cn
The black hoodie with the message: “Beyond the arm of the law” written in Mandarin. /Photo via thepaper.cn
"The two accomplices were caught. Zhong was on the list of the police's online searching system on the very day he was busted by police," officer Chen Hao told the media.
According to a clip released online, the suspect said following his arrest that he had bought the hoodie from an e-commerce platform because he thought wearing it would show strong personality.
"I didn't mean to challenge the law and never thought this sweatshirt would bring me trouble," Zhong said.
The scam took place earlier this year, and Zhong told the police that since he made it so far without being caught, he had believed he was off the hook.
News of Zhong's arrest amused netizens as many humored the man had "walked right into the trap" by flaunting such a message on his clothes.
A 15-year-old boy wearing the same hoodie in Guangxi was arrested while stealing a bike. /Photo via Nanguo Daily
A 15-year-old boy wearing the same hoodie in Guangxi was arrested while stealing a bike. /Photo via Nanguo Daily
Oddly, this is not the first such case involving the same clothing item.
Last month in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a 15-year-old boy wearing the same hoodie was arrested by police while trying to steal an electric bicycle.
According to a Nanguo Daily's report, the boy thought the hoodie was "cool" and assumed police would not be able to catch him.
But the joke turned on him, as he was asked to hold a sign between his handcuffed hands, which read "The law has long arms."