A man who blackmailed some gamblers by posing as a policeman but was soon found out was arrested the next day by real law enforcement officers, reports Beijing Morning Post.

At about 10 pm on Tuesday, Sun got an idea when he saw several migrant workers gambling at a street corner near the Liuli Bridge.

After jumping on a minibus waiting for passengers nearby, Sun first showed the drivers a fake police badge, pistol and handcuffs, then asked them to help "a cop on a mission".

The three drivers followed him and helped him "arrest" nine of the gambling migrant workers.

After confiscating their money, Sun wielded a big wooden stick, rather than his "gun", and ordered the suspects, who had been herded onto the bus, to squat in the back rows and not move.

"You will probably be imprisoned for eight or 10 years. Now I'm taking you to the detention house," Sun said.

But instead of going to a police station, the bus wandered around for a while until the "suspects" rebelled and demanded they be taken back to the Liuli Bridge. The suspicious workers reported the incident to police as soon as they were released.

Sun was arrested by real police at about 2 pm the next day as he was treating the bus drivers to a meal with the 500 yuan (US$60) he had robbed from the gamblers.

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