Naked ambition: man arrested over mugging

By Xu Fang  |   2009-7-7  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A MAN who allegedly mugged two women, one of them pregnant, while he was naked, was arrested yesterday.

Huang Zhengcheng, 20, a native from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, told Minhang District prosecutors that he took off his clothes before the robberies as he believed the freakish behavior would make it easier to snatch property and cash.

On the night of April 25, Qin Yunhua, who was seven months' pregnant, was walking home alone after shopping in a supermarket. A man came from behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I turned back around and saw a naked man," Qin told prosecutors. "I was extremely scared and shouted for help."

The naked Huang allegedly pushed Qin over and took a mobile phone from her. As a man riding a bicycle neared, prosecutors said, Huang fled into a small nearby wooded park.

Almost a month later, an insurance saleswoman surnamed Wang suffered a similar fate. Wang was returning home late at night on May 22 after visiting a friend. She felt a hand touch her from the back when she was walking on Yuanjiang Road, near where the other incident occurred.

Wang looked back and saw a naked man. She told prosecutors she initially thought the man was mentally retarded.

The naked man robbed Wang of her bag and ran into parkland. There were four bank cards, a mobile phone and 5,000 yuan (US$732) cash in the bag.

Wang reported the incident to police immediately and Huang was quickly apprehended.

Huang said he was working in a food company, thought his monthly pay was too meager and decided to increase his income illegally.

When he found a target, he took off his clothes and rushed them, prosecutors said.