The woman wore a sign around her neck as she sat outside a supermarket in Bijiang Community in Shunde. The woman held the sign outside the storefront for only 10 minutes before leaving.The sign around the woman’s neck reads, “Thief, stealing for the third time” in Cantonese. According to the owner of the store, the woman’s family was unable to pay the fine for stealing, and she consented to wear the sign as punishment instead. Her face is blurred but the Chinese characters on the sign can be read clearly.
Local media channels published videos using footage from a nearby surveillance camera and several images. Many social media users then shared these images, particularly on the platform Weibo.The store manager told that this is the third time that this elderly woman has attempted to steal from the store. According to the shopkeeper the woman came into the shop around 5pm on Sep. 3. She paid for several items at the cash register, but also snuck a packet of ribs into her purse. The shop clerk spotted the theft.
After the incident the manager called the police, who blamed the woman and ordered her family to pay a fine. However, the family refused to pay. Instead, the woman’s family authorised this public shaming, which was intended to be a warning to other shoplifters.
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