Chinese Police Couldn’t Find Criminal Suspect’s Photo, So They Used His Preschool Picture

March 21, 2019

A Chinese police department received ridicule for using a suspected criminal’s childhood photo on a wanted poster.

Zhenxiong police in Yunnan reportedly posted a wanted photo of the suspect identified as Ji Qinghai sourcing from when he was around five years old. In the photo, young Ji is seen with innocent eyes and chubby cheeks.

According to the authorities, 17-year-old Ji is wanted for gang crimes and various other violent offenses. When the image emerged on Chinese social media, netizens were quick to express that his adorable photo makes it a bit difficult to believe that he is capable of such crimes.

In an interview with local reporters, a police officer said that they were unable to find a more recent image, adding that the only photo they had of Ji was when he was a preschooler. The officer further noted that they thought there was nothing wrong with using the image since his facial features are still somehow recognizable, Shanghaiist reports.

This is apparently not an isolated case as it was revealed that the police department has, in fact, used childhood photos of wanted suspects in the past:

After facing public mockery online, however, the department decided to remove the photo and post a public apology.

Featured image via The Paper

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