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Police catch "spider man" burglar

2011-07-14 17:17    Ecns.cn     Web Editor: Su Jie
The 29-year-old agile thief surnamed Wang has stolen millions of yuan in valuables over more than 50 thefts in about a year.

The 29-year-old agile thief surnamed Wang has stolen millions of yuan in valuables over more than 50 thefts in about a year.

(Ecns.cn)--Police in Zhejiang Province have arrested an agile thief and dubbed him "spider man" due to his impressive climbing skills.

The 29-year-old man surnamed Wang has stolen millions of yuan in valuables over more than 50 thefts in about a year. He was caught in the act on July 5 in Sanmen County, Taizhou.

According to police, Wang usually broke into a house through a window, and could jump from as high as the fourth floor without hurting himself.

Even a 20 or 30-story building was no match for Wang, as long as there were ledges and corners he could use to clamber up.

"He is even more skillful than a fireman. He could climb to any floor he wanted," said the police.

With no professional training, Wang had developed the skill over many thefts.

Focusing on high-rise apartments, Wang's break-ins usually took place at hours when people were most likely to be out, such as lunchtime or around 4:00 p.m.

"Many people living on high floors tend to leave their windows open," said Wang.

A businessman named Mr Lai was Wang's most recent victim. On July 4 Wang stole valuables worth more than 200,000 yuan ($31,000) from Lai, including his Omega watch, high-end mobile phone, jewelry and cash.

Wang only finished junior high school and has no full-time job. A gambling problem led him to borrow 300,000 yuan ($46,000) from a loan shark, leading him to life of crime nearly a year ago.