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There is a Chinese idiom based on the ancient military strategies of China: “Of the thirty-six stratagems, the best is to flee”. However, if you can’t flee, and have your hands held down, what would you do? If you haven’t been brushing your teeth for a year, you might have a chance at distracting your enemy with your breath.

We don’t really want to know how bad that smells, but apparently, a man who was recently arrested in Hebei, China, managed to make a police officer throw up because of his foul breath.

Hebei News reports the arrest of a 49-year-old man, Er-mao Wang, after hiding from the police for over a year. Wang and two friends committed a crime of theft on July 4, 2013, stealing a motorbike worth 3,000 Chinese yuan (US$488), the three of them making their escape from the scene of the crime on said bike. When the police caught up, one of the three men got arrested on the spot while Wang and his other accomplice split ways and managed to get away.

For the past year, Wang, who is single, had been leading a nomad-like lifestyle, moving from place to place, hiding in the mountains and taking on random temporary jobs. The police received a tip about Wang’s whereabouts earlier this month, and finally caught him after searching for him for the past year.

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When the police found him, Wang had unkempt hair covered in dust and dirt and he looked like he hadn’t groomed himself in years. The effects of his unstable living conditions not only showed in his appearance, but made a big impact on his body odor as well. Wei-min Ren, who was tasked with questioning Wang on the journey back to the police station, had the short end of the stick as he had to suffer direct assault from Wang’s bad breath. It was reported that Ren had an incredibly difficult time keeping himself together during the ride, and immediately threw up upon arriving at their destination.

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Seems like law enforcers have to deal with much more than beating crime. If you’re planning to do something bad, perhaps you would want to consider preparing a year in advance by not brushing your teeth. That should give you the upper hand in close encounters. However, it’s still not likely that bad breath is going to shield you from the long arm of the law, as proven in this stomach-turning case.

Source/Images: Hubei News via ETToday