Chinese students go viral after chasing thief in Italy after getting phone snatched on train

The heroic act of three students from China led to the arrest of a subway thief in Italy on Mar. 15.

According to China English-language newspaper Global Times, one of the international students managed to retrieve her phone with the help of her two friends and other people in Milan after it was snatched by a man in a train.

He was later spotted at another train platform after the group tracked him down across multiple train lines, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Chased for 800 metres across multiple lines

Koukou, along with her friends Bin and La, were on the train when Bin's phone was snatched as the train doors were about to close.

The trio hails from Yunnan and are studying at the Polytechnic University of Milan.

One of them then pried open the train doors and another gave chase to the thief but lost sight of him afterwards, reported Global Times.

According to SCMP, they were later joined by local police who assisted in the search across multiple subway lines despite experiencing hiccups such as mistaking other passengers for the thief.

However, he was finally caught at another train platform after being spotted by the students and getting tripped by a passerby.

Footage of the incident, which garnered over two million likes on China short-form video app Douyin, showed the man being pinned to the floor and surrounded by police following his capture.

The arrest also led to the recovery of Bin's phone.

Thanked locals for help

Koukou, who had filmed the entire ruckus and shared it on Douyin, said that the experience "felt like a dream", reported Global Times.

She added that the phone would not have been successfully retrieved without the cooperation between locals and the friend group.

Koukou described the 800-metres chase as "so intense", as quoted by SCMP.

"Never mess with a Chinese woman," she quipped.

She also thanked the police and passers-by in Milan for their assistance, and said she plans to gift an appreciation banner to the subway officers.

In Italy, those found guilty of the offence may be jailed for up to three years and fined.

Top screenshots from Douyin via SCMP