According to reports (by reporter Li Kui), a group of five people, including Han and his wife Li, disguised themselves as pilgrims and specifically targeted donation boxes in temples to steal the money placed inside. This morning, Mentougou court sentenced the gang, with four members already in custody, including Han, receiving sentences ranging from one and a half years to ten months imprisonment.
Han and his wife Li, among five others, are all from Suixi County, Anhui Province. The gang frequently pretended to be pilgrims and drove to various temples, such as Wutai Mountain in Shanxi and Tanzhe Temple in Mentougou District, to steal from donation boxes.
On April 8, 2011, the five drove from their hometown to Tanzhe Temple in Mentougou District, stealing over 800 yuan from multiple donation boxes.
A few weeks later, the five again drove to the famous Buddhist site of Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, stealing more than 5000 yuan from donation boxes in temples around the scenic area, including Tayuan Temple and Xiantong Temple.
The gang had clear roles when stealing from donation boxes; some were responsible for keeping watch, others pretended to worship Buddha, some blocked the cameras, while Han was in charge of stealing the money from the donation boxes.
After each theft, the group would return to their hotel and immediately count the day's "income," subtracting the costs of entrance tickets, food, and accommodation. Han then divided the remaining money equally among the five.
The gap on donation boxes where coins are inserted is very small, making it difficult to steal the money. However, this did not pose a problem for Han, who had specially made a tool for committing theft - a retractable TV antenna.
This antenna could shrink to about 10 centimeters and extend up to 80 centimeters. Han also bought double-sided tape, sticking one side to the top of the antenna.
Each time entering the scenic area, Han would hide the special antenna in his sleeve, taking it out just before committing theft. He would peel off the other side of the double-sided tape, extending the antenna into the donation box to easily stick the money out.
On May 5, the five returned to Beijing to revisit Tanzhe Temple. Temple staff discovered through surveillance that the five lingered in front of multiple donation boxes, acting suspiciously. After continuous tracking via camera, they confirmed that the gang was a group of thieves specializing in stealing temple offerings, thus reporting them to the police.
After succeeding in their theft, Han and the others were about to leave the temple when they were caught by the police, with over 1200 yuan in stolen money recovered on the spot. It was reported that all five members were originally arrested on the day of the incident, but member Zhao escaped after being released from criminal detention due to health reasons. The police are currently pursuing him.
Court Judgment
The Specific Thief
Recognized as the Ringleader
The court determined that Han and three others, pretending to be pilgrims, committed multiple cross-provincial thefts of money from donation boxes in parks and scenic areas, constituting theft crimes.
Han was identified by the court as playing a major role in the joint crime, being the ringleader; Li and the other three played secondary roles, recognized as accomplices and legally given lighter punishments. After the judgment, the four, including Han, stated in court that they would not appeal.
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