Chinese Livestreamer Jailed For Wearing Police Uniform to Attract More Viewers

Identified only by her surname, Hu, the livestream hostess known as “Little Devil” reportedly tried to spice up her videos with a bit of cosplay in an attempt to attract more followers. She perhaps received more attention than she bargained for, as one netizen posted about her police uniform on Weibo, which immediately attracted criticisms from other users.

Some websleuths identified her location and, soon enough, authorities gave her a visit at her place in Suileng county in Heilongjiang. The public security bureau of Suileng county would announce two days later that after an investigation, Hu had been arrested. It was revealed that she was not an actual police officer and was just dressing up to get attention.

According to Shanghaiist (via Medium), Hu started to gain an online audience on streaming site on Kuaishou back in April 2016. She reportedly bought a police uniform and regularly wore it for photos, videos, and livestreams on her multiple social media channels to increase her viewership even more.

However, the authorities were neither impressed nor amused by her stunt, noting that her police cosplay had caused “serious damage” to the image of the police. According to the police announcement, the streamer will be detained for 15 days.

Since livestreaming became quite popular in China in recent years, Chinese authorities have been on the lookout for the different activities employed by livestreamers to entice followers that the government has deemed illegal. From wearing “vulgar” clothes to eating a banana seductively, these streamers have either been shut down or arrested by local authorities.

Images via China Youth Daily