Fugitives praying for good fortune get arrested at Buddhist temple

Two fugitives who went to pray at the Dabei Buddhist Temple in North China’s Tianjin Municipality during the Spring Festival on Tuesday were nabbed by local police after facial recognition software picked them out of the crowd of thousands of worshippers.

A woman, surnamed Liu, was listed as a fugitive by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau on suspicion of financial crimes, according to a video posted by Beijing Youth Daily that showed her being led away by police officers.

The male fugitive, surnamed Yang, was arrested after his physical characteristics were recognized by on-site surveillance video. He was confirmed to be a fugitive wanted by the public security in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on fraud choices.

Like millions of Chinese, Liu and Yang, who don’t know each other, had come to the temple for a blessing that backfired on them. They have been detained by Tianjin police for further investigation.

Many netizens mocked the two fugitives. “Police: ‘Bodhisattva called us to catch you,’” one netizen wrote. “Buddha will not forgive you,” another wrote.