Man in China who stole US$3,700 from a classmate on his wedding day, then ‘loaned’ back some stolen cash to groom gets 2 years jail
- A man stole wedding gift money from a classmate after turning up at the groom’s father’s house before the wedding
- He broke into a locked cupboard and stole 25,000 yuan (US$3,700), then went to the wedding reception, gave a small amount back to the newlyweds as a gift and loaned some of the stolen cash to the groom
A man in China has been jailed for almost two years after stealing thousands of dollars intended for a classmate as a wedding gift.
The man, surnamed Song, from Shaanxi province in northwestern China, was sentenced on May 30, to one year and nine months in prison and fined 3,000 yuan (US$450) for stealing 25,000 yuan (US$3,700) from one of his classmates surnamed Zhou.
Zhou’s wedding dinner was being held at a local hotel, but before it began, Song turned up unexpectedly at Zhou’s house instead. While there Song entered the bedroom of Zhou’s father without anyone noticing.
Song locked the door and began rifling through the contents of the room before he noticed a wardrobe with a locked drawer. He forced open the drawer and found a substantial amount of money intended as a wedding gift for the couple.
Song split the money, and hid 3,700 yuan (US$555) in a box near the balcony of the bedroom, before leaving the bedroom with the rest of the money.
He then travelled to the hotel for the wedding banquet with Zhou’s family. Song gave 500 yuan (US$75) of the stolen cash to the newlyweds as a wedding gift. He later posed as a generous friend by lending 5,000 yuan, also using the stolen money, to Zhou.
After the wedding Song continued to spend the money he had stolen and tried to maintain the illusion he was using his own money.
Later that night, Song was arrested by local police.
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It was revealed that Song had a previous criminal record and had twice been sent to prison, once for a 10-month sentence in 2018 and again for one year in 2020.
The story has captivated mainland Chinese social media. Many could not understand why Song would risk prison by stealing such a small amount of money from an acquaintance in such an obvious fashion.
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One Weibo user said: “What did he think? Steal the money from his classmate, then lend the money back to him and no one would notice?”
Another quipped: “It was really embarrassing. From now on, it’s probable that Song will live like he has no classmates or friends.”
“Couldn’t he earn 25,000 yuan in a year and nine months? Now, he is in prison,” said another.
