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Meet the Chinese undercover cop who gave it all up for love and a security guard’s uniform

Former beauty salon owner who served six years in prison for blinding an employee calls time on 11-year police career

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Former undercover police officer Xu Zhongbao, pictured with his new wife, decided to leave the police after 11 years fighting crime. Photo: Handout
Alice Shen

An undercover police officer in eastern China who once served six years in prison for blinding a man is hanging up his uniform and handing back his badge to pursue a completely new career … as a security guard.

Born and raised in Zhejiang province, Xu Zhongbao helped put hundreds of criminals behind bars during his 11 years of service, local newspaper Wenzhou Evening Post reported on Tuesday.

By infiltrating crime syndicates and underworld gangs he was able to collect the evidence the authorities needed to make successful prosecutions.

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But Xu has not always found himself on the right side of the law.

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In 2000, he intervened in a violent quarrel between a man and his wife – both of whom worked for him at the beauty salon he owned and ran in Hangzhou, Zhejiang’s capital. The report did not give any details of the event, but the husband ended up blind and Xu was arrested, tried and sent to prison.

Things only got worse once he was behind bars, as his wife told him she wanted a divorce and he was forced to sell his beloved salon.

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