The bedridden Mr. Hu, photographed by Wang Jieshan. A 62-year-old man bravely stopped a thief from stealing but was beaten up by the thief and his accomplices, resulting in rib fractures. He has been lying at home for several days now, and even turning over causes him pain. "My injuries are minor; my greatest wish is to capture the thief as soon as possible." Last night, reader Mr. Hu called our newspaper.
Unmasking the Thief's Movements
Last night, I went to Mr. Hu's house at No. 515 Meizhou Road in Yangpu District. It was an old public housing unit with a simple one-bedroom layout and basic furnishings. Mr. Hu lay on the bed, struggling to sit up to greet guests, his face showing signs of great pain as his rib injuries made it difficult for him to rise. The injury report issued by the Central Hospital of Yangpu District revealed that Mr. Hu had suffered a fracture of the eighth anterior rib on the left side.
The incident occurred at around 10 p.m. on April 7th. At that time, Mr. Hu came to Liangyou Supermarket near the intersection of Meizhou Road and Pingliang Road. Suddenly, he saw a man suspiciously tampering with a China Telecom communication box on the supermarket’s exterior wall. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the box had already been opened, and the man was forcefully pulling out cables.
"What are you doing? Are you from the Telecom Bureau?" Mr. Hu shouted loudly. The man immediately became flustered, unsure of how to respond. After a few seconds of silence, the man rudely replied, "Get out of here! It's none of your business!" Mr. Hu knew something was amiss and refused to back down, firmly stepping forward to stop him. At that moment, about seven or eight big men suddenly appeared from somewhere nearby and quickly surrounded Mr. Hu.
Beating Up the Elderly Man
Despite being surrounded by so many large men, Mr. Hu was not afraid. He firmly believed that with righteousness, there was nothing to fear! One of the men growled menacingly, "Why do you meddle in other people's affairs!" Then, they all rushed forward and knocked the elderly man to the ground. "I received several heavy blows to my head, face, chest, and abdomen, leaving me dazed," Mr. Hu recalled.
The beating lasted for a few minutes. Subsequently, the thief and his accomplices scattered and fled. The elderly man shakily stood up, wiped the blood off, and called a taxi to go to the police station to file a report. The police quickly arrived at the scene, conducting investigations while searching for the suspects.
Determined to Continue Catching Thieves
I saw the receipt issued by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau documenting the case details. Mr. Hu's spouse and children were not around, and he usually lived alone. After getting injured, he lacked proper care, yet he harbored no regrets. "In the future, if I see a thief, I will still catch them without hesitation!" the elderly man said resolutely.
At the crime scene on Meizhou Road and Pingliang Road, I noticed that the telecom box protected by the elderly man remained intact, ensuring smooth communication in the surrounding areas. Passersby all gave the thumbs-up to the elder's brave actions: "The elder's behavior is the best response to the audaciousness of thieves." Everyone hopes that the elder will recover quickly and that the violent thief will be brought to justice.
By reporters Tu Shichao and Wang Qianjian (Editor: SN003)