A contribution box from a temple in Jiangxi Province was stolen by a man in mainland China.
Despite being captured quickly by the police, he refused to admit his theft and claimed that he had asked the Bodhisattva for permission to “borrow” the money from the donation box. According to the man, the Bodhisattva made an “OK” motion, which amused and irritated the cops.
The “Shuangyan Temple” in Yiyang County, Shangrao City, reported repeated thefts to the authorities, according to China.com.
Following an investigation, the police uncovered a suspicious guy who frequently visited the temple and had unusual behavior while closely inspecting the donation box. As a result, they resolved to take action.
When no one was there, the man entered the temple, casually opened the unlocked donation box, and collected the money, not realizing that his every step was being recorded by surveillance cameras hidden in the corner. The suspect was quickly apprehended.
The suspect surnamed Ye, acknowledged frequently washing his clothes in a nearby pond and seeing the contribution box was unattended and unlocked. He borrowed money from the temple on occasion due to financial troubles.
The authorities were stunned by Ye’s defense, which stated,
“I told the Bodhisattva that I would repay the money, and the Bodhisattva gave me an ‘OK’ gesture.”
Despite this, the authorities issued a 12-day incarceration as a penalty.
