China thief rows boat at dawn to steal US$70,000 from company he targeted for a year

A meticulous thief in China rowed a boat to steal his former employer’s safe containing 500,000 yuan (US$70,000) after planning the heist for a year.

He was caught within 24 hours by the police in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, Zhejiang Legal News reported.

Officers received a property loss report from the company on October 1.

Their investigation hit an initial dead end because the company’s surveillance cameras had been sabotaged, and they could not see any suspects in roadside cameras.

Detectives then turned their attention to surveillance footage from the river bank next to the firm.

They soon discovered a suspicious man rowing a boat there the previous night.