Male and female thieves posing as "agents," Muji suffers losses
Compiled from The Paper
An online shop claiming to be a “brand agent” on an e-commerce platform sold MUJI products at a 20% discount, attracting a large number of customers with its low prices and its service of procuring whatever was requested. Little did anyone suspect that the “brand agent” was in fact a pair of thieves, and that the so-called procurement was actually theft from MUJI stores. Recently, Shanghai Pudong police successfully apprehended two theft suspects.
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Case review
On August 13, while taking inventory at a MUJI store in a shopping mall in the Qiantan area of Pudong, Shanghai, staff discovered that several items of clothing were missing and immediately reported the theft to the Qiantan Police Station of the Pudong Public Security Sub-bureau, stating that the stolen goods were worth several hundred yuan.
After reviewing public surveillance footage, the officers quickly identified a man and a woman, and by following their trail, successfully tracked down their whereabouts. What they assumed would be a straightforward public order case soon took an unexpected turn that the investigating officers had never anticipated.
"Are all these stolen?" When the police knocked on the suspect's door, they were somewhat surprised to see over a thousand pieces of clothing and various items stacked layer upon layer inside the room. Upon closer inspection, they were all MUJI products. Facing the police who came to arrest them, they even questioned: "We are brand agents, what are you police doing?" The police, who had already gathered solid evidence, arrested both individuals.
After being apprehended, the two suspects finally revealed their "road to riches." Suspect Liu and his wife Zuo both had legitimate jobs. Liu had previously worked at a MUJI store but left after a falling-out with the store manager, and subsequently sought revenge.
Liu was thoroughly familiar with the store's shopping procedures and well aware of the blind spots in its security surveillance. The couple then used the brand's shopping bags they had kept at home to evade the public surveillance cameras and successfully stole some clothing from the store.
As they watched the piles of goods at home grow larger, they had another sudden idea and opened an online store, calling themselves a “brand agent” and selling the brand’s products at a 20 percent discount. Whenever customers placed orders, they would take advantage of weekends and holidays to visit stores, select items, steal them, package them, and ship them by express delivery, running the online store prosperously until they were caught by the police.
By the time the case was uncovered, Liu and Zuo had sold more than 1,700 stolen items online over a period of more than six months, illegally profiting 260,000 yuan. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 unsold stolen items were piled up in their homes, with the shop owner preliminarily estimating their value at over 200,000 yuan. Currently, the two have been criminally detained by Pudong police in accordance with the law on suspicion of theft.
"Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China"
Article 264: Theft
Whoever steals public or private property in a relatively large amount, or commits theft multiple times, burglary, theft with a weapon, or pickpocketing, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge or there are other serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years, and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge or there are other especially serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or have property confiscated.
[1] The author's perspective
To satisfy their vengeful feelings, they repeatedly stole without restraint, which is no longer a personal grudge but has escalated to a criminal offense. This habitual theft not only infringes on the interests of Muji but also disrupts public order, as the couple sold the stolen goods at low prices, essentially profiting without investment, and disturbed the normal market economy. Their actions must be punished.
After this incident, store managers also need to heighten vigilance, regularly inspect in-store security facilities, promptly install, repair, or fill gaps in security blind spots or damaged equipment, and take preventive measures against theft. Additionally, they should periodically inventory store goods; if goods are found missing without reason and suspected of being stolen, they should promptly report to the police.
On August 13, while taking inventory at a MUJI store in a shopping mall in the Qiantan area of Pudong, Shanghai, staff discovered that several items of clothing were missing and immediately reported the theft to the Qiantan Police Station of the Pudong Public Security Sub-bureau, stating that the stolen goods were worth several hundred yuan.
After reviewing public surveillance footage, the officers quickly identified a man and a woman, and by following their trail, successfully tracked down their whereabouts. What they assumed would be a straightforward public order case soon took an unexpected turn that the investigating officers had never anticipated.
"Are all these stolen?" When the police knocked on the suspect's door, they were somewhat surprised to see over a thousand pieces of clothing and various items stacked layer upon layer inside the room. Upon closer inspection, they were all MUJI products. Facing the police who came to arrest them, they even questioned: "We are brand agents, what are you police doing?" The police, who had already gathered solid evidence, arrested both individuals.
After being apprehended, the two suspects finally revealed their "road to riches." Suspect Liu and his wife Zuo both had legitimate jobs. Liu had previously worked at a MUJI store but left after a falling-out with the store manager, and subsequently sought revenge.
Liu was thoroughly familiar with the store's shopping procedures and well aware of the blind spots in its security surveillance. The couple then used the brand's shopping bags they had kept at home to evade the public surveillance cameras and successfully stole some clothing from the store.
As they watched the piles of goods at home grow larger, they had another sudden idea and opened an online store, calling themselves a “brand agent” and selling the brand’s products at a 20 percent discount. Whenever customers placed orders, they would take advantage of weekends and holidays to visit stores, select items, steal them, package them, and ship them by express delivery, running the online store prosperously until they were caught by the police.
By the time the case was uncovered, Liu and Zuo had sold more than 1,700 stolen items online over a period of more than six months, illegally profiting 260,000 yuan. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 unsold stolen items were piled up in their homes, with the shop owner preliminarily estimating their value at over 200,000 yuan. Currently, the two have been criminally detained by Pudong police in accordance with the law on suspicion of theft.
"Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China"
Article 264: Theft
Whoever steals public or private property in a relatively large amount, or commits theft multiple times, burglary, theft with a weapon, or pickpocketing, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge or there are other serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years, and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge or there are other especially serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or have property confiscated.
[1] The author's perspective
To satisfy their vengeful feelings, they repeatedly stole without restraint, which is no longer a personal grudge but has escalated to a criminal offense. This habitual theft not only infringes on the interests of Muji but also disrupts public order, as the couple sold the stolen goods at low prices, essentially profiting without investment, and disturbed the normal market economy. Their actions must be punished.
After this incident, store managers also need to heighten vigilance, regularly inspect in-store security facilities, promptly install, repair, or fill gaps in security blind spots or damaged equipment, and take preventive measures against theft. Additionally, they should periodically inventory store goods; if goods are found missing without reason and suspected of being stolen, they should promptly report to the police.
