Chinese lottery thief caught after he tried to cash in winning ticket
Suspect is accused of breaking into a store and stealing cash and tickets
A man who broke into a shop in eastern China and stole thousands of yuan of lottery scratch cards was caught after he tried to cash in one of the winning tickets, a local television channel has reported.
Police said the 32-year-old was a habitual thief who had just been released from prison after serving a 10-month sentence earlier this month. Jiangxi Television reported on Friday.
Six days after his release, he is accused of breaking into the store in Nanchang city, stealing 1,700 yuan (US$255) in cash and about 4,500 yuan worth of instant lottery tickets.
Man spots police officer driving car he reported stolen 2 years earlier
After spending an hour scratching the stolen tickets he had only won around 450 yuan in cash.
But when he went to cash in the winning tickets at another store, staff alerted police and he was detained at a nearby internet cafe.
The man has since been charged with theft.
