Men jailed for stealing money on a bus

Two men who stole money from a woman's handbag on a bus and threatened the driver with knives were sentenced to prison and fined 15,000 yuan (US$2,451) each for robbery, Jing'an District People's Court said yesterday.

Prosecutors said the two thieves in their 40s were unemployed and from Shaoyang City in Hunan Province. In January, they planned to steal some money to go back to their hometown for the Spring Festival.

They first tried on a bus from Shanghai to Yueqing City in Zhejiang Province on January 19. They failed to find a suitable target. The next day they took a bus back to Shanghai and targeted a well-dressed middle-aged woman with a Fendi bag.