A fruit shop owner in Shanghai, China, recently discovered that over 290 kilograms of watermelons had gone missing over several days, prompting him to report the theft to the police. Following the investigation, the suspect was caught, and it was found that, over 4 days, the man had taken away more than 40 watermelons, sometimes sitting by the roadside eating them. The suspect claimed to have 'eaten them all,' sparking heated online discussion.
Shanghai Jing'an police recently received a report from a fruit shop owner stating that watermelons left overnight in a truck beside the shop had repeatedly been stolen. Even though the watermelons were covered with burlap and tied with ropes in the truck bed, they still couldn’t escape the thief.
According to the complainant, between July 5 and the morning of the 11th, more than 40 watermelons weighing over 290 kilograms in total were stolen, amounting to an estimated loss of about 1,500 RMB (884 ringgit).
Police investigation revealed that between 1:00 am and 3:00 am from the 5th to the 11th, a man would quietly approach the truck loaded with watermelons, cut the ropes with a knife, lift the cover, select watermelons, put them in his yellow burlap bag, and then transport them away with a small cart.
This theft was repeated four times over just a few days. Police quickly identified the suspect and his temporary residence, and within just two hours, arrested the suspect surnamed Huang, who is now under administrative detention by Jing’an police.
After being brought in, Huang admitted to stealing watermelons multiple times. He said he accidentally discovered the truck full of watermelons and, tempted by greed, committed his first theft.
However, after his initial theft went unnoticed, Huang grew increasingly bold; during the last two times, he escalated matters by stealing more than a dozen watermelons—over 100 kilograms in one go. He even stated that he ate all the stolen watermelons himself; surveillance footage also showed him sitting by the roadside eating nonstop.
Once the news broke, Chinese netizens engaged in heated discussion, laughing and saying, 'Just how much does he love eating watermelon,' 'True love for watermelon,' 'That's some serious love for watermelon,' and 'He even picked and chose the watermelons.'