Man detained for stealing CPU chips from office

A suspect has been detained for allegedly stealing CPU chips from 27 computers in a company where he worked, police said on Friday.

The suspect, a man surnamed Cen, allegedly owned up that he replaced the original chips with low-quality ones to cover the thefts.

Some of the thefts were believed to have taken place about one year and a half ago, but the company found out about them only at the end of last month.

The company, located on Songbin Road in Baoshan District, reported to the district police on March 13.

Police set their eyes on Cen who was working there during the period. He was good at computers but fired for "idleness at work," according to the company owner.

Based on the clue, police found that Cen had sold CPU chips of computers at high prices and purchased low-priced ones at an online second-hand trading website.

Cen was caught in Suzhou City in neighboring Jiangsu Province on March 21.

He alleged that he had profited about 30,000 yuan (US$4,750) from the thefts.