Liu is questioned by police at a public security bureau. Photo: Screenshot from media reports

A police officer from Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi Province, apprehended a long‑time fugitive after becoming suspicious of a household that had consumed more than 1,000 tons of water over three years. The fugitive, gripped by fear of being caught, had relied on the constant roar of a washing machine every day to calm his nerves.

The case began when the property manager of a residential community, named Cui Haiyan, reported to police officer surnamed Zhang that one household's water usage was highly abnormal, China News Service reported on its official WeChat account. 

In early 2024, the property management staff first discovered that the household had consumed over 400 tons of water in a single year—amounting to more than 30 tons per month, the report said. "Compared with other households that use six to seven tons per month, this consumption is extremely high," said Cui.

In early 2025, property management staff again recorded the household's annual water usage at over 400 tons. When staff scheduled an on‑site inspection, an elderly resident refused to let them in, claiming that she lived alone.

By early 2026, upon seeing the household's annual water consumption near 400 tons once more, Cui decided to report the situation to the police, China News Service reported.

After learning that the household had used over 1,000 tons of water in three years and repeatedly rejected property inspections, Zhang grew suspicious. Public records showed that only a mother and daughter were registered as living in, yet property staff had reported what appeared to be a man living in the apartment as well.

Zhang later checked police databases and discovered that the elderly resident's son was a fugitive, a fact confirmed by property management staff, who identified him as the man they had seen, the report said.

The suspect, surnamed Liu, who is in his fifties, was formerly an employee of a power company in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province. He was placed on the police online wanted list on suspicion of fraud, the report said.

Suspecting there were hidden reasons behind the household's annual water consumption of more than 400 tons, the police avoided hasty action. Instead, they secretly monitored Liu's daily routine before formulating an arrest plan.


Eventually, during a property management operation to clear debris from outside residents' doors, police officers seized the opportunity to detain the suspect, China News Service reported.

Upon searching the residence, police found no other evidence of illegal activity, only piles of laundry hanging throughout the apartment to dry and a washing machine running non‑stop in the bathroom.

During questioning, Liu confessed that, having been a fugitive for an extended period, he lived in constant fear of capture and was constantly anxious. By chance, he discovered that the steady roar of a working washing machine could soothe his frazzled mind, prompting him to run the machine non-stop and wash clothes day after day, according to the report.


Liu has since been prosecuted by the Xinzhou Procuratorate, China News Service reported.


Global Times