News Report – November 18, 2024
Mr. Gao from Guanyun County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, had his purchase of 38 tons of rice stolen along with the vehicle during transportation. After reporting the incident to the police, Mr. Gao encountered a poor attitude from the authorities, with one officer even retorting, “If you want to complain, then go ahead and complain.” This news trended on the Baidu hot searches on November 17.
On November 16, a mainland blogger revealed that on November 13, Mr. Gao arranged for a truck to transport the rice from a distribution station. At 11:37 in the morning, the truck loaded more than 38 tons of rice at the grain purchase point in Changxing Village, Guanyun County, and was headed to Wujin District, Changzhou City. While passing through Honglvdeng North at Chengji Town, Liushui County, Huai’an City, the driver briefly parked to buy water and returned to find the truck and the nearly 100,000 RMB worth of rice missing.
On the evening of the 15th, Mr. Gao, the driver, and representatives from the distribution station went to the Chengji Police Station in Liushui County to report the incident. The officer only provided a rough location of the truck and advised them to search for it on their own. After leaving the police station, the driver went to look for the truck. Mr. Gao then sought help from the police station again, hoping they would assist in finding the stolen rice, but encountered a poor attitude from the officers there.
Video footage uploaded by the blogger showed a verbal conflict between the police officers at the station and Mr. Gao during a phone call. The officer mentioned that once they found the person responsible for taking the rice, it would be up to Mr. Gao to negotiate with them. However, Mr. Gao disagreed with this approach, arguing that since the rice went missing within the jurisdiction of the Chengji Police Station, it was their responsibility to either recover the rice or provide a report on whether they would investigate the case. He questioned the station’s handling of the situation. During the phone call, a police officer told Mr. Gao, “If you want to complain, then go ahead and complain.”
On the evening of the 16th, the media contacted the responsible party at the Chengji Police Station and Mr. Gao to gather more information. The police station informed them that they were in conversation with the person who took the rice and assured that they would handle the matter properly.
Mr. Gao, in his conversation with the media, stated that the incident depicted in the video happened on the 16th. He believed that the police station’s lack of action and poor attitude were unacceptable. Mr. Gao revealed that there was an economic dispute between the person who took the rice and the truck driver, and the rice had already been sold. He emphasized, “I don’t care about their dispute; I just want my rice back.”
Mr. Gao mentioned that the money from selling the rice had already been deposited into the police station’s account and could be retrieved.
Netizens, such as “Laugh at Your Bellyman,” emphasized the need to protect the rights of the people and urged the law enforcement agencies to address cases of inaction. They also advised others to stand up for their rights in similar situations.
Some internet users believed that selling the rice without informing the owner could be considered theft.
User “Shi Huancui75” stated, “This is considered theft, and a case must be filed. Just returning the money should not exempt them from criminal liability.”
User “Cheater Cheater with Style 3D” remarked, “There’s a difference between stealing and taking!”
However, user “jojo11999” expressed concern, saying, “Those who rush to sell usually offer prices below the market value, resulting in losses.”
The incident has sparked discussions online, highlighting the importance of protecting individuals’ rights and ensuring accountability in cases of theft and mishandling of property.