‘Trojan horse’ heist in China: Man hides in delivery box, steals gold worth Rs 25 lakh

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Just days after the dramatic heist at Paris’s Louvre Museum, China has witnessed an equally audacious theft -- one straight out of a crime thriller.

In central China’s Hunan province, a 46-year-old man named Zhao pulled off what authorities are calling a “Trojan horse-style” robbery by hiding inside a wooden delivery box to sneak into a residential building. Once inside, he stole gold and cash worth more than 200,000 Yuan (about Rs 25 lakh), according to the South China Morning Post.

The incident took place on October 9 in the city of Yueyang. Police sources said Zhao had arranged for the box to be delivered into an exit passage of the building, hoping to slip past security cameras. After sneaking out, he followed a woman into her apartment under the pretense of “recovering a debt” and forced her to open her safe.

He made away with approximately 230 grams of gold and 2,000 Yuan (Rs 25,000) in cash, as per the report.

To ensure she could not raise an alarm, Zhao allegedly forced the woman to take sleeping pills, rendering her unconscious. He then spent nearly four hours cleaning the apartment to remove evidence, before hiding again in the same crate and having it sent out of the building.

When the woman regained consciousness, police launched a massive investigation involving over 50 officers. Using CCTV footage and logistics data, they traced the suspect to Zhejiang province, where he was arrested on October 18.

Investigators recovered the stolen gold, and Zhao reportedly confessed that his plan was inspired by television dramas. “He was shocked at how fast he was caught,” local police said.

Authorities confirmed that delivery personnel involved in transporting the box were not held responsible, and specific shipping details have not been released.

The case has gripped Chinese social media, with users comparing Zhao’s elaborate “Trojan horse” plan to heists seen in fiction — only this time, the ending was far less cinematic.