A Chinese man was recently convicted of theft after being found guilty of drugging his ex-girlfriend and then opening her eyes to unlock her smartphone and transfer money from her account to his.

Breakups can be difficult, painful even, but sometimes it’s not just your heart that’s left broken, but your bank account as well. Take this strange case that recently went viral on Chinese social media.

A 28-year-old man was sentenced to over three years in prison for drugging his ex-girlfriend and unlocking her phone while she was unconscious in order to deplete her bank account and settle his gambling debts. He managed to transfer 150,000 yuan ($23,500), before making himself scarce and taking her mobile phone with him.

This shocking crime allegedly took place on December 26, 2020, but the man was only convicted for his actions at the beginning of this month. According to prosecutors, Huang Mouhui, a resident of Hepu, in China’s Guanxi Province, contacted his ex-girlfriend, known only as Dong, under the pretext of wanting to pay back the money he owed her. In reality, the 28-year-old had a more sinister plan.

Huang had learned from mutual acquaintances that his ex-girlfriend was sick, so he arrived at her home with fresh vegetables, eager to cook a nice, hot meal for her. Taken aback by his kindness, Dong even allowed him to prepare some medicine for her, which turned out to be a big mistake, as the man used the opportunity to mix in some drugs that caused her to lose consciousness.

As soon as he saw his ex fall asleep, Huang Mouhui went to work. He grabbed the woman’s phone, used her finger to bypass the fingerprint lock, and then held her eyelids open in order to gain access to Dong’s Alipay account. He proceeded to transfer 150,000 yuan ($23,500) from his victim’s account to himself. When he was done, he simply left the woman unconscious, taking her handheld with him.

When Dong finally woke up, she noticed Huang and her phone were gone, and when she checked her Alipay, she was shocked to see her saving evaporated. Seeing the transactions she hadn’t approved, she tried calling Huang but seeing as he wasn’t answering, she notified the authorities.

Huang Mouhui went into hiding and was only apprehended in April of 2021, four months after stealing his ex-girlfriend’s money. By that time, he had already spent most of the funds paying his debts, gambling and covering living expenses.

Earlier this month, Huang was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and was ordered to pay a fine of 20,000 yuan.