Chinese man held over theft reportedly tells police: ‘If I didn’t steal you’d be out of a job’

A Chinese man arrested on suspicion of shoplifting told police he had run off with a laptop only to see how good police were at catching criminals, mainland media reports.

“I just wanted to see what the police were doing and whether you capture thieves,” the man reportedly told police when he was arrested in Fucun township in the city of Jinhua, in Zhejiang province, the news website of the Zhejiang government reported on Monday.

”If I don’t steal, you would lose your job,” the man, identified only by his surname, Quan, allegedly added as he was detained after going back to the town to obtain a charger for the laptop.

Quan, originally from Hunan province, had worked as a migrant worker in a factory in Fucun, the report said.

He allegedly stole the laptop from a computer shop in February when he and the owner were the only two people inside the premises.

Quan reportedly grabbed the laptop and ran off while the shop owner was distracted.

He was arrested three days after the alleged theft when he returned to Fucun to try to get a charger for the laptop, the report said.

Quan is currently being held in detention while police investigate the case.