Man who allegedly stole 100kg iron safe arrested
A man who fled Shanghai after allegedly stealing a 100-kilogram iron safe storing valuables said to be worth 40,000 yuan (US$6,045) from a flat at the end of October has been caught, Shanghai police said yesterday.
The 1.9-meter-tall suspect, surnamed Pan, allegedly entered the apartment on the second floor of a building through an open window in Chengqiao Town, Chongming District.
The burgled family said the safe, placed in a bedroom beside a bed, contained gold, silver and jade accessories, ancient coins and cash.
They said the safe had wheels on its underside.
A woman, surnamed Wei, said she was Pan's accomplice after she was arrested in Baoshan District before he was caught.
Wei said she was waiting outside the apartment as Pan used a bed sheet to cover the safe. He carried it on his back and left the apartment.
A surveillance camera at the gate of the residential complex caught Pan and Wei getting into a car with the safe.
Police found the driver shortly afterwards, and he gave them clues to their whereabouts.
Police said the driver was an illegal taxi driver and had nothing to do with the burglary.
Pan fled to his hometown in Chongqing after the incident.
Police from Chongming District caught Pan in Chongqing and repatriated him to Shanghai last week.