Man Attempts Robbery of $87,000, Caught Relaxing in Victim’s Bedroom

Buildings in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

A man who had been living off his parents was caught in an attempted robbery after he came upon a large sum of cash, all because he wanted to charge a phone he was planning to steal, and relax under the room’s air conditioner, according to Chinese news outlet the Liaoning News Center.

Most surprisingly, instead of taking the large sum of cash and escaping, the man decided to remain in the room and continue rummaging for valuables, opening drinks while taking his time during the theft.

Police detained the unemployed 43-year-old man, surnamed Chang, after the homeowner saw him carrying her bag full of cash, according to the Aug. 22 report. The report did not include the date of the attempted robbery.

The victim, surnamed Chen, called the police after encountering Chang in her room.

Chang lived off his parents in Dalian City of China’s northeastern Liaoning Province. He used their retirement fund as his livelihood. However, his parents recently passed away, and Chang turned to an apparently unsuccessful life of crime to meet his financial needs.

The Relaxing Robber

The report did not include details as to how Chang broke into Chen’s house.

After Chang entered Chen’s room, he found a black canvas backpack full of cash. But it didn’t stop there. He decided to continue his searching, finding a brand new phone which he opened and began to charge for himself. He also opened drinks and turned on the air conditioner, making himself at home during the robbery.

“I saw that there was a half naked man in my room,” Chen told the Liaoning News Center. “I don’t know him, he was carrying my black bag.” The bag was filled with 620,000 yuan ($87,000)—Chen intended to use this money to pay her employees. No further details were given about her business.

“I put money in that bag, I was so afraid.”

Chen approached the man while he was still in her room, and asked why he was there. “He said he was lost, then he was so frightened that he put the bag on the floor, and sat down on my bed,” Chen told the Liaoning News Center.

“I figured that he was a robber.”

Chen then walked out of the room and locked the door from the outside, effectively trapping Chang inside. She then contacted the police. After police arrived, Chen explained Chang’s doings.

“He made this mess, he opened all these drinks,” Chen can be heard saying to the police in their body camera footage. Police asked Chang how long he had been in the room before being discovered. “Half an hour,” Chang readily admitted.

One of the arresting officers confirmed that Chang intended to charge the phone to full before leaving the scene of the crime, according to the Liaoning News Center. Chang was arrested for suspected theft.