PHOTOS: FEMALE THIEF CAUGHT BY SHOP OWNER GETS HUMILIATED WITH HER HAIR SHAVED

When Chinese shopkeeper Lu Sun saw a shoplifter shoving clothes into her bag she decided she’d teach her a lesson. 
In an unusual example of vigilante justice, the retailer, whose store had been hit by a spate of thefts over the previous two weeks, pinned shoplifter Li Wu to the ground, took a pair of scissors and hacked off her long dark hair.

Lu Sun, 32, had lost hundreds of pounds worth of goods from thefts at her store at a shopping centre in Wenzhou, China, so decided to keep a close watch on Li Wu when she saw her acting suspiciously.

She said: ‘I watch so many people every day, so I can tell thieves from others easily.

‘When I noticed the woman sneaking around in the shopping mall, I knew she was up to no good.
‘So, when she came into my shop, I was alert and finally caught her in the act.’

Miss Sun was helped by a neighbouring shop owner who held Wi Lun down while she cut off chunks of her hair. The pair then called the police and had the shoplifter arrested.

Miss Sun added: ‘I decided to do it to teach her a lesson and to send a message to other thieves in the area to stay away from my shop.’

Miss Sun is by no means the first shopkeeper to dish out a painful lesson to thieves.

Last year Edinburgh retailer Arfan Hussain became an internet sensation when CCTV footage of him apprehending a thief went viral.

The thief tried to steal £2.30 worth of milkshake – but didn’t bargain on shopkeeper Mr Hussain being a former Tae Kwon Do champion.

He was hailed the internet’s next ‘Big Man’ after he posted the CCTV footage on YouTube.

A lesson learned: Lu Sun was helped by a fellow shopkeeper as she pinned the shoplifter down and hacked off her hair.

Other shoplifter’s bizarre methods ensured that they were brought to justice.

New Jersey thief Anthony DiVietro managed to escape the clutches of the security guards at the store he was trying to rob after they spotted him acting suspiciously and gave chase.

But DiVietro’s bizarre practice of dancing while he stole came back to haunt him.

CCTV footage of him showing off his moves while stuffing his waistband with products he hadn’t paid for back in 2011 became an internet hit and he was arrested after someone recognised him.