Chinese fish farmer complains that locals keep stealing his stocks, but police will not make the catch
- Hunan businessman says that up to 200 people at a time have been raiding his stocks, filling containers with fish and shrimps from his ponds
- Local police were initially reluctant to act, but three people were detained after he aired his complaints on social media
A shrimp and fish farmer in central China has complained that his neighbours are putting his business at risk because they keep stealing his stocks.
Liu Zhengxuan, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, started his business in Dongkou county in Hunan province five years ago with two classmates from an agricultural college in the provincial capital Changsha.
According to him, the thefts began about two years ago and since then the villagers have broken through the protective steel fences to raid his ponds 10 times, filling their containers with as much as they can carry and causing heavy losses to his business.
“In the most ridiculous case, there were more than 200 people looting at the same time,” Liu said.
“When they first started, they just took the fish,” he said. “Now, they have come for the shrimps although our staff tried to stop them.”
Liu complained to the police on several occasions but the officers were reluctant to take action at first.