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Footage of a man eating a banana was the police’s main lead in the case. Photo: Handout

How a stolen banana helped Shanghai police crack burglary case

Police were left baffled by a series of break-ins until one victim mentioned that a banana had been taken from his dining room and then it all fell into place

A burglary suspect was caught after a crime spree in suburban Shanghai thanks to a banana taken during a home break-in, according to Chinese police.

The unnamed man is suspected of taking more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,450) worth of items from three homes in suburban villages in recent days, news site Xinmin.cn reported on Monday.

At first, police said they had difficulty coming up with a list of suspects as the villages in Heqing township targeted were not equipped with many surveillance cameras.

It wasn’t until one of the victims mentioned that a banana had also gone missing from his dining table that police managed to get a lead.

One of the officers recalled reviewing a piece of surveillance footage that showed a man eating a banana as he rode away from one of the villages on an electric bicycle, the report said.

Thieves steal US$900,000 in jewellery as oblivious guard keeps watch

Upon closely studying CCTV footage from the other villages, the authorities discovered that the same man had been seen in the other targeted areas.

After police tracked him down and arrested him in an internet cafe in Beicai township on September 8, the man admitted to breaking into the houses, the report said.

He told police he had been having trouble getting a job and is also reported to have confessed to taking a banana.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Suspected burglar slips up after taking banana
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