Investigators in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, arrested a thief in an internet cafe on Monday. When the thief was arrested, he was watching a program about common law on the Society and Law Channel and was surprised by the sudden appearance of investigators.

According to the police, the man was apprehended for stealing an electric bike. The news quickly went viral on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform, where it was widely discussed.

"He probably watched the program to know about his future in advance," one netizen joked.

"We study law, enjoy the benefits of the law, but more importantly, we should obey the law," another commented.

In China, larceny is punishable by up to three years in prison, criminal detention or public surveillance and a fine, or only a fine if the amount of money involved and the damage are not very severe. He should have studied the law before stealing, not after, experts said.