In a bizarre case that has left internet users stunned, a man in China resorted to theft to avoid paying for a plane ticket. The man, identified as Chen, from Liaoning province in northeast China, initially purchased an airline ticket from Hunan province back to his hometown. However, finding the fare of 1,500 yuan too expensive, he canceled the ticket and chose a criminal path instead.
On the night of May 31, Chen stole a car and began his illegal journey home. As he passed through seven different cities, he stole a total of eight cars. Each time a vehicle ran out of fuel, he abandoned it and stole another one. Along the way, he also stole valuables from the cars and sold them to cover food, fuel, and toll expenses.
The turning point came when Chen stole a car worth over 150,000 yuan from a showroom in Wuhan. The showroom staff immediately alerted the police, who tracked the car and noticed it was moving north. The next day in Hebei province, Chen tried to steal another vehicle and injured the owner during the struggle.
Eventually, the police apprehended him 24 hours later while he was sleeping inside one of the stolen cars.
Authorities stated that the total value of the stolen vehicles exceeded 1 million yuan and all cars have since been recovered. The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many amazed at how far one man went—and how many cities he crossed—just to avoid the cost of a plane ticket.
