China burglar in hyper-real silicone old-man mask steals valuables worth US$14,000 is caught within 24 hours
- Disguise evokes memories of Tom Cruise role in Mission Impossible films
- Police find clues in burgled flat, track thief down less than a day after raids
A burglar in China who tried to evade police by wearing a hyper-real silicone mask but was caught in less than 24 hours after committing the crime has caused much amusement online.
On March 6, police in Shanghai received a report of a burglary.
Four first-floor flats in a residential compound were broken into via their windows and cash and jewellery worth more than 100,000 yuan (US$14,000) in total was stolen.
Officers checked public surveillance cameras and discovered a suspicious “elderly man” wearing a face mask. The camera captured him entering the compound but not leaving it.
Investigators found clues left by the burglar in one of the flats, matched it with their database and found a man with a criminal record, according to the Shanghai media outlet, Xinmin Evening News.