Just heard a Beijing criminal investigation police's memoir today, he told a story of capturing a group of thieves who stole a stone Buddha statue in 1998. His men pretended to be antique buyers and waited a few months in antique market before the seller finally showed up. The statue was made 1500 years ago which survived so many years undamaged.... unfortunately, thieves broke it into five parts (because it's too big and too heavy to be carried away in a whole piece). The asking price was modest, only ¥100,000 (roughly USD$12,000 in 1998). One thief was sentenced to death by court in 1999. Two others was sentenced to lifetime in jail.
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