Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Asia Wire Report  

This suspected thief told cops he stole a bluetooth speaker so he could be busted and avoid having to marry his girlfriend.

The crook named only as Mr Chen was detained after stealing a bluetooth speaker worth 2,000 RMB (222 GBP) from a dance studio on Huashan Road in Shanghai in East China.

The petty crime committed on 8th January led to his arrest later the same day, but his confession has amused investigators and led to the trending hashtag ‘man avoids marriage by stealing and taking shelter in police station’ now viewed more than 130 million times.

When asked why he chose to steal, Mr Chen told officers at Xinhua Road Police Station: “Because my girlfriend wants to marry me, but I don’t want to marry her.

“I knew I would be caught. I actually wanted to walk away, but I was angry.

“My girlfriend wants to get married, but I don’t want to.

“I knew you would find me, though I didn’t think it would be so fast.”

The authorities said Mr Chen chose to steal an item of low value so as not to cause a greater loss to the owner.

He also stole in order to disappoint his girlfriend, who he hoped would then want to break up with him.

Mr Chen remains in custody for the minor offence but is not expected to be detained for long.

It is still unclear whether Mr Chen’s tactic was successful.

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