Forbidden fruit leaves aftertaste for group of suspected thieves

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Three unemployed men who stole 15 kilograms of peaches from an agricultural institute had no idea the fruit they were stealing was worth thousands of yuan to the institute's experimental research.

The Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute had spent over 10 years cultivating the fruit that was worth an estimated 100,000 yuan ($15,700).

Niu Liang, a researcher at the institute that operates in Henan province under the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, said Tuesday that peaches from the institute's experimental strains were stolen on Monday night.

Niu said the peaches, of nearly 20 different varieties, are the brainchild of the institute and cost more than a decade to cultivate and an investment of more than 2 million yuan.

With the help of his colleagues, Niu managed to catch one of the three suspects in the orchard, the other two escaped.

Li Yonggang, the suspect caught by Niu, is a middle-aged man from the local village who has no idea about the real value of the peaches, according to a report in Dahe Daily.

Li said he did not know the names of the other two suspects, and all of them were jobless men who met in front of the local Buddhism association where job-hunters usually gathered to wait for employers.

"I only knew that one of them is a fortuneteller, and the other one is an incense seller," Li said.

Niu Liang, the researcher, said he never thought the jobless men would take so many peaches.

"In the past, people usually stole several peaches to eat and most of the other peaches remain on the trees, but this time they stole nearly all of the peaches from several single strains," Niu said. "Our research program is delayed for at least a year due to this theft, with an economic loss of more than 100,000 yuan."

Questions:

1. What valuable fruit was stolen in Zhengzhou?

2. How much were they worth?

3. Where were they being cultivated?

Answers:

1. Peaches.

2. 100,000 yuan ($15,700).

3. The Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.