Robber's plan to mug a woman at a cash point goes awry when the man using a nearby machine happens to be an off-duty policeman

  • A man attacked a woman as she withdraw £1,134 from a machine in China
  • An off-duty policeman who was using an ATM nearby helped to tackle the man
  • The woman had no cash loss and the man was brought to the police station

A suspected robber in China who tried to rob a woman at a cash point was wrestled to the ground by a nearby customer who turned out to be an off-duty police officer. 

Surveillance camera footage shows the moment of the attack when a man approached the victim from her back and attempted to steal 10,000 yuan (£1,134) cash from her hand.

The assailant, however, didn't expect that the man using a nearby cash machine happened to be a policeman. 

The suspect was spotted ready to mug the woman, who was using the cash machine in China

The suspect was spotted ready to mug the woman, who was using the cash machine in China

He attacked the victim and pushed her to the ground as she was withdrawing £1,134
The woman tried to stop the suspect from taking the money from the cash dispenser

He attacked the victim and pushed her to the ground as she was withdrawing £1,134

According to a news report on Hunan Metropolitan Channel, the incident took place at a cash point in the scenic Zhangjiajie city of Hunan Province on the night of April 23.

CCTV footage shows a woman in pink outfit, surnamed Chen, taking cash out as a man stood behind her.

It is reported that Ms Chen had withdrawn 10,000 yuan (£1,134).

As soon as the machine dispensed the cash, the man approached from Ms Chen's back and pushed her to the ground.

The suspect took the cash from the slot. Ms Chen grabbed his arms and screamed for help.

A customer who was using a cash machine nearby came to offer help and stopped the attack

A customer who was using a cash machine nearby came to offer help and stopped the attack

It was later revealed that the good samaritan was an off-duty policeman working in the  area

It was later revealed that the good samaritan was an off-duty policeman working in the area

He took down the robber within seconds and reported the incident to his colleague 

He took down the robber within seconds and reported the incident to his colleague 

Soon after, one customer approached and managed to brought the suspected robber under control. In seconds, the helper covered the suspect's eyes and pushed him to the ground.

The customer then told Ms Chen that he is an off-duty policeman. The man also reported the incident to his colleague. 

'I didn't think much of my safety when this happened.' Liu Sunbo, the off-duty policeman, explained to Hunan Metropolitan Channel.

He added: 'I guess this is one of the instincts of a policeman. I noticed the man was stealing from the woman, so I helped out.'

Liu Sunbo explained that having been a policeman for 30 years, it was his instinct to help

Liu Sunbo explained that having been a policeman for 30 years, it was his instinct to help

The man was brought to the local police station after being brought under control

The man was brought to the local police station after being brought under control

Mr Liu has been a policeman for 30 years. He is now working in the law-enforcement team at the police bureau of Yong Ding district.

His colleague arrived at scene and took the suspected robber to the police station.

Ms Chen reported to the police she had no cash loss after the count.