Ren Xiaofeng and Ma Xiangjing devised a seemingly foolproof criminal scheme a year ago, which led to their involvement in a notorious bank robbery. They successfully collaborated with two security personnel to steal 200,000 yuan (approximately $62,000 AUD today) from the Agricultural Bank of China. To mask their crime, Ren purchased an extensive quantity of lottery tickets with the stolen funds, eventually managing to win enough to return 200,000 yuan to the bank, leaving no suspicions raised.
Encouraged by their initial success, Ren and Ma aimed higher and targeted the bank with a grander heist, pilfering an astonishing sum of $10 million from the vault. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side for this attempt. In a bid to reclaim their losses, the duo stole an additional $5 million, spending nearly all of it on lottery tickets once again. Their third attempt yielded a meagre $30,000 in winnings, a far cry from what they had originally stolen.
Their extravagant ticket purchases sparked an unprecedented week for the Hebei province lottery. However, it was only two days after their final theft that bank management became aware of the missing funds and notified the authorities. In an attempt to evade capture, Ren and Ma utilised fake identification, but they were apprehended shortly after being placed on China’s most wanted list.
Following their arrest, the pair faced serious charges of embezzlement. Within less than a year of their ill-fated crimes, they were found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad. Dishearteningly, most of the stolen money remains unrecovered, leaving a stark reminder of their ambitious but ultimately tragic criminal enterprise.