Beijing, Jul 18 (IANS): A 20-year-old unemployed man in Shanghai has been sentenced to jail for 10 months for robbing a convenience store of a steamed corn-on-the-cob worth a mere 3.6 yuan ($0.56).
Prosecutors said the man named Li Wen threatened two shop clerks with a knife at the store in April, the Shanghai Daily reported Wednesday.
He failed to get any money from the clerks, and instead took a steamed corn on the cob from the cashier's table and ate it as he fled. It was an extension of the robbery, the court heard. The man was also fined 1,000 yuan (around $160).
Prosecutors said Li came to Shanghai in search of a job. He found employment but quit many jobs either because they required too much technical skill or because he could not endure manual labour.
The man slept under bridges and sometimes in internet cafes until he spent the last amount of money he had.