A man in Bengbu was cleaning a flat he had rented and found the body of woman under the bed, Anhui Business News reports. Her hand fell into view while he was moving the mattress. At first, he though it was a sex doll but soon saw the rest of the body. Police arrived and started an investigation. They arrested the previous tenant, who they suspect killed his girlfriend when she broke up with him.

Fugitive’s bad luck

Police saw an elderly man fall in the Hefei’s south train station, and offered to help but he refused their assistance, the Anhui Business News reports. He appeared nervous and when officers checked his personal details they discovered he was a fugitive who had been on the run for three years. He fled after asking someone to beat another person to death. Police arrested the killer.

CHONGQING

Brush with death ‘lucky’

A woman driver who survived a car accident decided she was having good luck and immediately went to play mahjong, the Chongqing Morning News reports. The driver, who obtained her permit eight months ago, flipped the car while making a tight turn. Neither she nor the passenger suffered injuries.

Bad behaviour monitors

Authorities in Shapingba district are hoping to encourage better public behaviour by offering money to people who post photos online of people littering or committing other similar offences, the Chongqing Daily reports. All district residents can take part in the programme and post their snapshots to the district’s WeChat account. The first 10 people will receive 200 yuan (HK$253) each. The programme will run occasionally.

FUJIAN

Teacher kidnapped pupil

An elementary sports teacher in Fuzhou kidnapped one of his pupils in an attempt to blackmail the family for 2 million yuan, the Dongnan Kuaibao reports. The teacher lost money playing the lottery and couldn’t pay back the interest on loans he took out. After abducting the child, he contacted the police, who tracked him down. He has been charged with kidnapping.

Sun Yat-sen forest at risk

The Kinmen Highlights-Sun Yat-sen Memorial forest has been attacked by insects and about 400 black pine trees were in danger, the news website Chinatimes.com reports. Experts had to cut down 50 seriously ill trees and apply biotechnological methods to stop other trees from turning yellow and their leaves falling. What’s behind the insect infestation has not been determined.

GUANGDONG

Boy, 6, ate grandad’s pills

A six-year-old boy in Guangzhou thought his grandfather’s blood pressure medication was candy and ate a dangerously large quantity, the Guangzhou Daily reports. He suffered serious damage to his kidney and heart. The pills decrease blood pressure and can cause the heart to pump slower.

Lift firms fail inspections

Five companies that supply elevators and offer servicing failed to pass quality inspection in Zhuhai, the Xinxi Shibao reports. Among 61 of the firms checked, five won top marks, including two Zhuhai companies. The five that failed inspection were asked to upgrade their system before a new inspection was carried out.

SHAANXI

Official ‘steals’ child

A couple in Shangluo who planned to have a second child discovered their quota was taken by a district official, the Hushang Daily reports. Under the relaxed family planning rules, more couples are eligible to have a second child. When they went to the local family planning administration, officials said they were already registered as having two children. After a round of negotiations, the officials promised to amend the situation.

Stepdaughter abused

A father has been jailed for five years after a court in Baoji found him guilty of molesting his stepdaughter, the Hushang Daily reports. The woman said she tried to stop the abuse when it began a decade ago, when the girl was six.

Diesel thieves caught

Jiading district police have broken up a criminal gang who stole and sold diesel, arresting 12 suspects, the Xinmin Evening News reports. A man reported to the police that his oil tank truck had been was emptied and he had lost about 10 tonnes of diesel. The police reviewed CCTV footage and discovered a suspicious car that drove back and forth in the area where the truck was parked. Police hunted for the car and discovered the trunk had been modified to contain an oil tank. The drivers gave out names of the group’s members.

SICHUAN

Urn blackmailers arrested

Two men in Mianyang who stole an urn from a public cemetery tried to blackmail the manager, threatening to report the ashes as missing to the deceased man’s family, the Chengdu Business News reports. After stealing the ashes, they asked the cemetery manager for 200,000 yuan. The manager called the police to arrest the men.

Driver injured in accident

ZHEJIANG

Smelly wells irk locals

Internet users in Ningbo posted photos of a 270-metre long street with 260 wells and drainages, saying the area is responsible for a foul smell when the weather changes, the Xiandai Jinbao reports. The wells were spaced closely together, with some only a few centimetres apart. Local residents who run businesses said that when the weather was warmer, the smell along the street became worse. They called on authorities to inspect the wells and seal the ones no longer in use.

200,000 yuan shock

An elderly couple discovered their 13 certificates of deposits accounting for their life savings were fake, the Xiandai Jinbao reports. Police discovered that their son had forged the certificates and kept the real ones to prevent them from falling prey to scams, which they had earlier. The couple panicked, fearing their 200,000 yuan in savings was gone. The son will withdraw money for his parents.