Man arrested for stealing from temple claims Buddha signaled it was 'OK'
A man has been arrested for stealing money from nine charity boxes in a temple, arguing that the Buddha approved and showed him an "OK" gesture, the police in Chongming District said recently.
The gesture of Buddha, which looks similar to a sign for "OK," is common. It represents extricating oneself from troubles and cleansing the body and mind.
A statue of Buddha with the gesture, which looks like the sign for 'OK.'
Recently, staff members of the temple found during regular checks that the money donated by followers to the boxes was half less than usual, so they called the police.
Policemen caught the man on the roof of the apartment where he lived. He pleaded guilty and told the police that he asked for the opinion of Buddha before he committed the crime, trying to invent a plausible excuse.
The police said the investigation is ongoing.
It is not the first time that this gesture was "misinterpreted" by pilferers and they have paid a price under the law.
In 2021, a court in Jiangxi Province reported a similar case. Two thieves claimed that they borrowed 3,900 yuan (US$545.17) from Buddha with the statue's permission.
The pair were sentenced to eight months and nine months in jail, with fines of 1,000 yuan for each, the court announced.
According to China Judgements Online, one of the country's judicial public platforms, there have been nearly 200 cases of stealing money from temple charity boxes since 2020.
