Eight hundred jin of rice "disappeared" overnight? The police worked for over 10 hours straight on SkyNet to track the clues.

Yang Jun, Cover News reporter Liu Kesheng

Recently, the Xuyang Police Station in Rong County, Ziliang City, received a report from Uncle Cao of Wang Xutang Village: more than 800 jin of rice stored in his house “disappeared from the world” overnight. For farmers, this isn’t just a matter of money—one season’s hard-earned work was taken away without leaving a trace.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found the case to be “plain” in a way that was headache-inducing—there were few rural surveillance cameras and few leads. But the investigators did not give up. With assistance from the command center for handling tips and public security, they watched dozens of hours of Tianwang video footage. Eventually, they identified two vehicles that were “hiding by day and operating at night”: an electric three-wheeler and a motorcycle. Late at night, they appeared frequently, with natural acting and a cunning route.

Identification of the scene

A few days later, the police first arrested a suspect surnamed Long at his home, and also seized the rice that hadn’t been had a chance to be taken yet. During interrogation, Long said that he and Wu saw how neatly the rice pile was stacked at Uncle Cao’s place, and they had an unspoken understanding. They joined forces to move the rice under cover of night. On March 30, Wu was arrested. Both suspects have now been placed under criminal detention according to law, and the case is still under further deep investigation.

Family members delivered a banner in thanks

The day the rice was returned intact to its rightful owner, Uncle Cao held the bag and thanked them again and again. Uncle Cao’s son also brought a banner that read: “Diligently and responsibly does a good job finding things for the people, with care for the public and warmth for the hearts of the people.”

A banner is both praise and a reminder—small cases involving people’s livelihoods are handled with equal seriousness, quick investigation and rapid resolution, pursuing the stolen property to the end. After all, even a single grain of rice from the public is a measure of peace and safety.