On March 21st, a Chow Tai Fook jewelry store in Panyu, Guangzhou was robbed. The suspect used a hammer to smash the glass counter and fled the scene with 4 pieces of jewelry. The police announced today that the suspect has been captured. With the recent economic difficulties in China, many people are facing hardships, sparking discussions among netizens.
According to a police report released on March 22nd at noon, the robbery occurred around 9 pm on March 21st at a shopping mall in Nancun Town, Panyu District, where a man stole 4 pieces of jewelry and fled the scene. The suspect, a 34-year-old man named Liang, has been apprehended, and the stolen jewelry has been recovered.
The day before, a netizen posted a video showing a man in black clothes carrying a black backpack. Using a hammer in one hand, he smashed the glass counter and swiftly grabbed the jewelry before fleeing the scene.
During the robbery, witnesses at the scene were too afraid to intervene, but someone managed to film the incident on their mobile phone. It was reported that the incident took place at the Chow Tai Fook store in Wanda Plaza, Panyu, Guangzhou.
Witnesses at the scene told the media that when the robbery occurred, some store employees shouted, prompting parents shopping with children to quickly grab their kids and hide upon hearing the shouts.
The incident has sparked discussions among Chinese netizens. Some expressed concerns that with the increasing difficulties in life, more incidents of such robberies may occur. Some comments included: “Life is too tough, afraid that such incidents will become more common in the future.” “More and more people are resorting to robbery, everyone is getting poorer.”
There are also speculations that the man intentionally committed the crime to be sent to prison: “He must have wanted to get inside~” “Clearly seeking refuge inside, it’s safer in there than outside!” “He reportedly had a lot of debts and nowhere to go.” “Did he rob just to get in? This seems intentional, he didn’t even bother wearing a mask, facing the camera directly and giving a ‘V’ sign.”