A financial dispute between a couple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, has led to a theft investigation. A woman surnamed Peng reported to the police that her gold jewelry, originally worth over 70,000 yuan, had been replaced with counterfeit pieces. Authorities suspected someone close to her was involved and discovered that her boyfriend, a man surnamed Liu, had recently been seen at a gold pawnshop. Liu, fearing abandonment due to his unemployment, admitted to swapping the real gold for fake items. He is now facing criminal charges for theft.
According to reports from Hangzhou Comprehensive Channel, Peng filed the police report on the evening of the 21st after noticing that two gold pendants and three gold bracelets she had carefully stored at home were replaced with identical-looking fakes. Police noticed Liu’s suspicious behavior during their investigation and found footage of him alone at a local gold pawnshop.
Liu confessed that in June, feeling depressed about being unemployed and worried his girlfriend would leave him because of his financial situation, he devised a plan to swap the real jewelry with counterfeit copies. He executed the swap three times, illegally profiting about 60,000 yuan.
He claimed that all the money earned was spent on daily dates and expenses with his girlfriend and had planned to replace the gold jewelry once he was financially able.
The police emphasized that despite Liu’s emotional motives, his actions constitute theft, and he has been subjected to criminal enforcement measures.
