Stolen gold jewelry found in ceiling cavity of rental home

In an unexpected discovery, a bag of gold jewelry concealed in the ceiling of a rental home was identified as stolen items in a theft case in Zhejiang province.

The incident unfolded on Oct 24 when a man, identified as Mr Wu, residing in Zhejiang's Kaihua county, contacted the police after uncovering a bag of unidentified gold jewelry in the ceiling of his rental bathroom while carrying out repairs on a water pipe. The recovered cache of gold jewelry included rings, bracelets, and necklaces, with an estimated value exceeding 100,000 yuan ($13,700), totaling over 300 grams in weight.

Police initiated inquiries involving both the landlord, surnamed Hu, and the previous tenant, but neither could provide information about the origins of the gold jewelry. However, the plastic bag containing the jewelry bore an address associated with Hu's son.

Further investigation revealed that Hu's son had a history of multiple theft cases. In 2021, he was apprehended by the police in Tongxiang, Zhejiang, in connection with a theft case and is presently serving a sentence. Despite his arrest, he has consistently refused to divulge the whereabouts of the stolen items.

Upon comparing the seized gold jewelry with the victim's descriptions in the Tongxiang case, a match was confirmed. Subsequent verification established that all the gold items belonged to the victim.

Consequently, the police have transferred the recovered gold jewelry to the Tongxiang police for further processing and investigation.