A suspect was found to have prayed to the surveillance camera in front of a cake shop. Screenshot of BRTV

Recently, multiple shops in a shopping mall in Chaoyang district, Beijing, were robbed, with the police quickly identifying a suspect. This suspect was found to have prayed to the surveillance camera in front of a cake shop, hoping to receive blessings from the Buddha. 

However, local police managed to apprehend the suspect within just two days. Currently, the man surnamed Zhao has been criminally detained. 

According to police, the suspect believed that praying to the Buddha would absolve him of guilt and provide him with psychological comfort, making him believe that he could evade capture by police. Zhao hid in the stairwell of the mall after closing time and only came out to commit the theft when the shops were closed. Netizens found the thief's act of praying to the Buddha absurd. "If you want the Buddha's blessings, you should do more good deeds instead of stealing others' property," one netizen said. "Instead of praying to gods and Buddhas, it's better to do more things that benefit society. This kind of theft is unforgivable," another netizen said.