Police arrest man who stole gold worth $410,000 using scaffolding

Police in Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang province, have arrested a man who stole more than 25 kilograms of gold worth over 3 million yuan ($410,000) from a resident's home on the 5th floor by climbing up and descending on a scaffolding.

The man, who was born in 1970, is a repeat offender with multiple prior thefts. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for theft and robbery in 1996 and was released in 2011. Last year, he received an 8-month prison term for another theft and was only released recently.

After being released from prison, the man wanted to pull off a big theft and turn rich overnight. He targeted a jewelry store owner who kept his gold jewelry at home.

The businessman and his wife came to the city over 20 years ago and started their business of making gold jewelry. Over the years, they kept a habit of bringing the gold jewelry back home after work, and then putting it back in the store the next morning. Their friends and neighbors know about this habit.

On the night of Sept 28, the man climbed up to the balcony of the couple's home using a scaffolding and cut through the window screen with a knife. He then stole four backpacks containing gold jewelry and jade artifacts.

The man was arrested three days later and confessed to the crime. When questioned about his audacious feat of bearing such a weight while descending on a scaffolding, the suspect explained that his strength had been honed during his youth when he used to grind grains.

The stolen gold was returned to the couple.