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As China’s coronavirus checks get stricter, fugitives turn themselves in
- A man who stole a dead body for a black magic ritual is among those who surrendered to police after running out of places to hide
- Strict controls to stop the spread of Covid-19 also forced a man wanted over a 1993 murder and a suspect in a US$1.5m fraud out of hiding
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Strict new curbs on people’s movements to contain the spread of Covid-19 in China have forced a number of fugitives to turn themselves in to the police – including a man wanted for stealing a corpse for a black magic ceremony.
At least a dozen criminal suspects have turned themselves in since local governments started locking down cities, towns and communities, according to mainland police statements and media reports.
The most macabre case involved a man from Inner Mongolia, who was wanted for stealing a dead body for a “ghost marriage”.
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These ceremonies have taken various forms over time and in different parts of the country.
But in some areas of China, families believe that if someone dies unmarried they will be alone in the afterlife – unless they are buried with a corpse of the opposite sex, who becomes their spouse in the next world.
In this case the suspect, a man named Qiu, surrendered to police in Bayannur on February 11.
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