Thieves are arrested carrying garbage can on a late-night rampage. Photo: CCTV News

Recently, two men were seen driving a motorcycle and carrying a trash can, speeding on the road in Pu'er, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. This unusual behavior caught the attention of local police, who traced and discovered a criminal gang. Three suspects were arrested, and seven theft cases were resolved with approximately 70,000 yuan ($9,626) recovered by police.

On the early morning of October 23, local police received a report saying that two men were riding a motorcycle recklessly on a road in their jurisdiction. The man on the pillion seat was holding a trash bin, which appeared highly suspicious. Upon receiving the report, police immediately rushed to the scene, but the two individuals had already disappeared.

Police conducted an investigation by checking surveillance camera clips along the route and found that the appearance of the two suspicious men was very similar to the suspects in multiple theft cases in the jurisdiction. After visiting the surrounding residents and merchants, police discovered that a street store had indeed been burglarized that night.

After comprehensive analysis, police detected that the recent series of burglaries were committed by the same gang. Through reviewing and organizing clues for each burglary case, a three-person burglary gang emerged. One day later, police detained the three individuals and conducted a search, discovering stolen cigarettes, alcohol, cash, and other belongings. 

When asked why they were carrying a trash can and speeding on the road, the suspects claimed that they had stolen too many cigarettes and it was inconvenient to carry them, so they found a trash can to put them in. The three suspects confessed to their crimes.