Man gets second chance after HIV scare

A Shanghai man was reunited with his family after living nearly 18 months on the streets because he mistakenly believed he had contracted AIDS.

Police reunited the man, surnamed Li, with family after security guards caught him stealing food from a college cafeteria in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on June 27.

Li, who is in his 20s, told police he chose to be homeless after believing he had contracted the AIDS virus.

However, Li tested negative for HIV, said the report.

A native of Shangdong province, Li moved to Shanghai for an employment opportunity, only to "fall in with the wrong crowd," said the report.

Despite testing negative for HIV several times, Li continued to believe he was infected.

Li severed contact with his family in February 2013 and traveled 300 kilometers by bicycle to Nanjing, where he was picked up by police.