Chinese man stages his own funeral to avoid imprisonment

In China, a man facing a prison sentence for drunk driving faked his own death to escape legal liability. He even involved his family members in his plan and organized a fake funeral. However, this unusual scheme did not save him from punishment.

The police of Hunan province recently released details of this incident, which occurred in January of last year. A man known by the surname Si was stopped by police officers and arrested for drunk driving. During the investigation, it was revealed that he had previously been caught driving while intoxicated and without a driver's license twice before. Therefore, a prison sentence awaited him for his third offense.

Released on bail, Si, fearing the threat of imprisonment, chose an extreme method to escape punishment. He persuaded his family members to fake his death and funeral. According to the plan, everyone was supposed to think he had passed away, while he would hide from the police.

In June of last year, Si and his family set out to execute the plan. First, they bought a coffin. Then, the man tried to make his death look real at home: he scattered empty medicine bottles, practiced holding his breath for a long time, and used special equipment to keep his body cold. By doing this, he aimed to appear as though he had died from a drug overdose.

Some neighbors later told the police they had seen Si's body. However, his mother and grandmother covered his face with a cloth and excused it by claiming his face had changed due to the effects of the medication. The funeral was held the very same day. By the time the coffin was being lowered into the ground, Si was already on his way to Yunnan province.

However, there were a number of suspicious aspects to the fake death plot. Notably, the coffin was purchased before Si "died," and his family neither called an ambulance nor notified the police. These circumstances drew the attention of law enforcement agencies.

During the investigations, it was found that no death certificate had been issued for Si, and there was no information indicating that his body had been cremated. The fact that none of the neighbors had seen his face before the burial also heightened suspicions. Surveillance camera footage and bank records confirmed that the man was alive. Following this, the police initiated a search for him.

Si was apprehended in April of this year. The court sentenced him to five months of criminal imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 yuan, which is approximately 3,000 dollars.

Meanwhile, a separate criminal investigation is also underway against his mother and grandmother. They are suspected of aiding and harboring an offender.

Thus, the unusual scheme of the man who tried to escape punishment for drunk driving only led him to even more serious legal trouble.