8 car thefts, 7 cities: How Chinese man with plan to steal each time his vehicle ran out of fuel was caught

Indian Express

2 days ago

A man from China, surnamed Chen, booked a flight ticket worth 1,500 yuan (about US$200) to Changsha in Hunan province. But he cancelled it soon after, calling it 'too expensive.' As per his plan, he stole eight cars across seven cities—just to avoid paying for a flight ticket home, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Chen, hailing from Liaoning province of northeastern China, is a repeat offender with a history of car theft, as per authorities.
He began stealing vehicles to drive himself north. His journey covered over 14 hours on the road through seven cities, and each time his car ran out of fuel, he abandoned it and stole another.
He targeted quiet car parks and unlocked dealerships at night. At some locations, he took keys from cabinets and drove off with vehicles awaiting service. In other cases, he tampered with the ignition of older cars in unattended lots.
To fund his trip, Chen also stole valuables from the vehicles, using the proceeds for meals and tolls.
On June 2, a dealership in Wuhan reported a missing vehicle valued at over 150,000 yuan (around US$20,000). Police tracked the car moving north and issued alerts across provinces.
The next day in Hebei province, Chen was caught trying to steal yet another vehicle. He injured the owner while fleeing the scene. But by June 4, officers found him asleep inside one of the stolen cars in a Hebei parking lot and arrested him on the spot.
Authorities said the total value of all eight vehicles was close to one million yuan (US$140,000). All have since been recovered. Chen remains in custody.
Under Chinese law, individuals convicted of serious car theft can face more than 10 years in prison along with hefty fines.
(With inputs from SCMP)