Police at Haiyou police station in Sanmen county, Zhejiang province, received a letter containing 150 yuan ($24.50) from an anonymous man who said he had stolen some wire and repented for it, City Express reported on Wednesday.

Wang Hongxia, a policewoman, found the letter at the gate of the police station at about 8 am on Tuesday. The writer said he stole some wire on Feb 24 from a residential building and enclosed the money for compensation, but he did not put a name to the letter. The police went to the residential building, where they learned the wire had been left outside by a resident who bought it for a home project. Police also found the wire that was said to have been stolen inside the building.

Police tried to locate the writer of the letter and asked him through a local newspaper to go to the police station to retrieve his money, saying he would not be punished as his action did not cause any loss and he had a good attitude of repentance.