Police in China's Hunan Province have released details of an unusual case that surprised many.
A man identified as Si was stopped for drink-driving. Police records showed that he had twice previously been caught drink-driving without a licence. After being caught for a third time, he feared that he would be sent to prison.
While released on bail, he devised an elaborate plan to avoid punishment. He persuaded members of his family to help stage his death and funeral. The family bought a coffin in advance and scattered empty medicine bottles around the house. The man held his breath and used cooling equipment to lower his body temperature so that it appeared he had died from a medicine overdose.
During the funeral, his mother and grandmother covered his face with a cloth and told neighbours that the medicine had disfigured his face. On the day the fake death was staged, he was buried in haste. While the coffin was being lowered into the grave, he secretly fled to another province.
The deception did not last long. Police became suspicious after finding several irregularities.
The coffin had been bought before his reported death. His family did not call an ambulance or inform the police. No death certificate was issued, and there was no official record of his cremation.
Neighbours' suspicions and security camera footage confirmed that he was still alive.
Police arrested the man. A court sentenced him to five months in prison and fined him 20,000 yuan. Legal proceedings are also under way against his mother and grandmother for helping to conceal the offence and withhold the truth.
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