A man in central China's Hunan province used a startling "Trojan horse" method-hiding inside a wooden box-to enter a residential building on October 9 and steal gold valued at over 200,000 Yuan (Rs 25 Lakh) from a woman's apartment, according to South China Morning Post.
Sources say Zhao, 46, had the box delivered into the exit passage of the building in the city of Yueyang, hoping to evade security cameras. Once inside, he emerged, followed the woman under the pretense of "recovering a debt," and forced her to open her safe. He then stole approximately 230 grams of gold and 2,000 Yuan (Rs 25000) in cash, as per the news report.
To prevent her from alerting police, Zhao reportedly made the woman ingest sleeping pills, rendered her unconscious, and spent about four hours cleaning the flat to remove all traces of the crime before hiding again in the crate and dispatching it from the building.
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After she regained consciousness, police launched a large-scale investigation with over 50 officers reviewing CCTV and logistics data. They eventually identified the suspect as Zhao, a local from Hunan living in Zhejiang.
He was arrested on October 18 and the stolen gold was recovered. Zhao admitted the plan was inspired by TV dramas and was shocked at how fast he was caught. He is now in custody. Delivery workers involved were not held responsible, and shipping details remain undisclosed.
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