Suspect is caught in a taxi on Jinbao Street, two blocks from Wangfujing, Monday night. [Photo from weibo.com]

Beijing traffic holds up robber

Internet users are having a group revelry suggesting better escape routes for a robber who stole Cartier watches worth 3 million in a string of smooth acts, and was caught while stuck in clogged traffic.

On Monday night at 7 pm, the masked suspect broke into a Cartier department in Wangfujing, one of Beijing's busiest shopping streets. He used a toy gun to bluff and deceive store clerks.

Trying to escape, he seized a car on the road, but left it because he couldn't drive. He then hired a taxi. In the evening travel rush, his vehicle traveled 2 kilometers in almost half an hour. Due to the traffic, it was easy for police to catch him in the taxi.

Internet users are obviously better planners. A few tips from Sina Weibo users: "Find a corner without surveillance cameras to change, merge into the crowded Wangfujing snacking street in the dark, then enter the breathtaking Subway Line One, before taking Batong Line to the suburbs," One user said. Another advised: "Run to the nearby hutong (alleys), which crisscross and contain so many escape routes."

Next up: critics are concerned about a fast track skyscraper's construction.