POLICE arrested a man suspected of hijacking an armored cash truck in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province on Wednesday.

    A suspect surnamed Li allegedly took three bags of cash worth 6 million (US$90,000) from the truck loaded with 35 million yuan that was hijacked in the county-level city of Dashi-qiao, according to the publicity department of Yingkou, which administers Dashiqiao.

    “The suspect took three bags containing a total of 6 million yuan from the cash truck. He stashed 5 million yuan in two places, one near the crime scene and one in an adjacent neighborhood, and carried 1 million yuan with him,” said Cui Lidong, deputy director of Liaoning criminal investigation bureau.

    Li, later identified as the driver of the armored truck, was arrested in his house eight hours after the robbery occurred, and the 6 million yuan of illicit money was also recovered.

    Li is thought to have committed the crime because of debts he had incurred due to his failing business, according to the police.

    “The suspect has been doing business in the north [of China]. His business has not gone well recently and he borrowed a lot of money, according to our investigation. So he came up with the idea to hijack the truck,” said Jia Qiulin, director of the Yingkou criminal police division.

    Police say Li admitted to hijacking the cash truck after using a homemade pistol to ward off the other four staff members on the truck.(CRI)