Woman and family help police nab burglars
For her bravery in thwarting two burglars, a local woman surnamed Zhang who lives in Putuo District was commended by the local government.
Putuo police said on Wednesday that the two suspects in the case have been arrested.
The burglary in question took place in a residential complex on Xincun Road on the early afternoon of October 29. At that time, Zhang saw two intruders in her neighbor's home and called the police. She also organized her husband and parents to keep an eye on the criminals before police arrived.
Zhang, who was alone at home, heard noises from outside her door and through the peephole saw two men trying to break into apartments on the same floor. They attempted to enter her home as well, she said.
A frightened Zhang quickly called police. She then called her husband, who was nearby. She also called her parents, who live downstairs. She asked them to follow the burglars as they left her neighbor's apartment.
“I was scared, so I guess it was my instinct to tell them, but I also wanted to help my neighbors,” she told Shanghai Daily on Wednesday.
Zhang’s father said he accepted the “task” from her daughter without a second thought.
As he followed the two burglars, he recalled: “I had to keep distance from them because I have a bright bald head and I didn’t want them to notice me and grow suspicious.”
Zhang’s mother volunteered to wait for police at the entrance of the residential complex, while Zhang's father and husband followed the two suspects as they left the residential complex.
A surveillance image from inside the residential complex shows two suspects wearing backpacks, while Zhang’s father and husband follow from behind.
When police officer Zhang Yuxin and his colleagues arrived at the complex, they were stopped by Zhang’s mother.
“The old lady told us that the suspects had left. We took her in our car to follow the route by which she said her husband and son-in-law were taking behind the suspects,” officer Zhang said.
The officers quickly caught up with the two brave men and apprehended the suspects.
Police found stolen watches, gold accessories and burglary tools on the suspects. This happened only 10 minutes after the police received Zhang's call.
One of the suspects, a man surnamed Diao, was sentenced to one year and two months for theft last year, and had been punished for the same crime several times previously, police said.
