Chinese woman gets phone stolen, thief sends printout of her contacts
A Chinese thief sent the owner of a stolen mobile phone a printout of all the contacts it contained after the victim sent a text to her old number, according to a newspaper report.
The phone was stolen by a thief who snatched it from the woman’s bag in the street in Dandong in Liaoning province last month, the Guangzhou Daily reported.
The woman sent a text message to her old number offering money, apparently for the return of her contacts, and giving her personal contact details.
The owner then belatedly reported the theft to police and the thief – a known offender – was caught after officers examined surveillance camera footage in the area.
Some internet users criticised the phone owner’s actions.
“The woman is ungallant. The problem could be that no thief in the future will send back any information to the owners of lost property,” one person said.
Another person commented that the owner had the choice of contacting the police, which rarely led to the phone’s retrieval, or contacting the thief. “It depends on luck. However, you’ll lose any luck in the future once you use the burglar’s conscience to put him under arrest.”
