Wanted notice goes viral online

A wanted notice with a 30,000 yuan ($4,350) reward, issued by Xining police in Qinghai province, calling for clues related to the whereabouts of a suspect went viral on social media on March 14.

The wanted notice called for information on the whereabouts of a fugitive called Ma Dongmei.

Ma, born in Dandong city, Liaoning province, was suspected to have led an internet-and telecom-based swindlers gang in Myanmar.

As stated in the wanted order, anyone who might have leads to Ma should report it directly to the police, those who offer important information or contribute clues to the arrest of the fugitive will be rewarded while those who give false clues or help the fugitive will be levied with penalties in accordance with the law. Those who submit information will have their identities remain anonymous.

However, what caught the most attention from the public was the name of the suspect, Ma Dongmei, the namesake of a classical character in the widely popular 2015 comedy movie, Goodbye Mr Loser, with a box office of over 1.5 billion yuan ($218 million).

The topic "Ma Dongmei was wanted by Xining police with a reward of 30,000 yuan" started trending on Sina Weibo.

All kinds of memes related to the fugitive's name and the namesake of the character swarmed social media.

As for the attention received from the public, Xining police officer Li told Red Star News, a news outlet in Chengdu, that it was a good thing that this wanted order got so much attention from the public, hoping it will result in more valuable leads for us.

Li said that as of now, not a single productive lead had been reported, even though they've already received many phone calls asking for details of the case.

He also called on public to be rational and take it seriously, and not to call in unless they have serious information.