A Chinese woman pretended to have coronavirus to scare off an attempted rapist who broke into her home on Friday night.
The Jingshan Public Security Bureau revealed on social media that the offender named Xiao broke into the woman's bedroom and attempted to sexually assault her.
The victim named Yi said she was home alone in Jingshan, a three-hour drive from Wuhan when Xiao broke in and began covering her mouth and squeezing her neck.
The healthy woman defended herself by coughing and yelling: "I just returned from Wuhan and have been infected, therefore I am home alone in self-quarantine."
The 25-year-old man was scared off, fleeing from the house after robbing the woman of more than NZD $600 in cash.
She alerted police who launched a manhunt but authorities said their investigation was made difficult since all residents were wearing face masks.
Xiao turned himself in to police on Monday and is being held in detention after admitting his guilt.
