An off-duty auxiliary police officer helped catch a suspected thief in southwestern China while out shopping at a mall with his wife, according to a newspaper report.

The officer, Fan Shihai, recognised the suspect in Chongqing after his image was circulated from surveillance footage, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The suspect had been spotted three days earlier stealing a mobile phone, according to the article.

Fan and his wife followed the suspect into a coffee shop and called colleagues for backup.