Chutian Metropolis Daily (Weibo) - Reporters Yaning Ye, Correspondents Yusheng Li and Peng Wei: With her mother critically ill, filial Chen Hua (a pseudonym) made a rash decision and stole 7000 yuan from her roommate to help back home. Unfortunately, the law shows no mercy; yesterday, the Donghu New Technology Development Zone police placed her under criminal detention. At 6 pm on January 4th, the Tongxin Police Station of the Donghu New Technology Development Zone received an alert: 7000 yuan had been stolen from the dormitory of a female factory worker. After investigation by the criminal police, it was found that there were no obvious signs of disturbance in the dormitory where the incident occurred. Apart from Xia's storage cabinet being pried open, all other items remained intact. The police investigation revealed that there were four female workers living in the same dormitory. Two of them had alibis, while one named Chen Hua took leave at 9 am that day to return to her hometown of Xinzhou, making her a significant suspect.
The investigating officers quickly went to Chen Hua's hometown for further investigation. However, before reaching Chen’s house, they heard the sound of mournful music from afar, as it turned out that Chen Hua's mother had just passed away. Adhering to the principle of putting people first, the police did not disturb the Chen family but instead kept an eye on Chen Hua's movements.
On the 30th, after finishing the funeral arrangements, Chen Hua was summoned by the police upon returning to the factory. The 21-year-old soon confessed to the theft. Chen Hua explained that her parents were farmers, with her mother suffering from liver cancer and a younger brother still in school. The family was impoverished, so she came alone to the Donghu New Technology Development Zone last year to work and earn money for her mother's treatment. After deducting daily expenses, she didn't have much left.
On January 3rd, she suddenly received a call saying her mother was critically ill and there was no money for continued treatment. In her panic, she remembered that her roommate Xia had a stash of cash in her storage cabinet. She decided to pry open the cabinet and steal 7000 yuan.
When questioned by the police, Chen Hua's explanation moved the officers: "I just thought I was borrowing her money, and once my mother gets better, I can slowly pay her back." Upon learning that her roommate Chen Hua had stolen the money to treat her mother, Xia couldn't understand why: if Chen Hua had mentioned her family's difficulties, Xia would have lent her the money without hesitation.