ATM thief refuses to accept victim's money after he sees her bank balance

Usually, when people say that crime doesn't pay, they mean that a certain illegal act - whatever it may be - will end up coming back to bite the criminal. Most likely that they will end up in jail or having to pay a hefty fine. But in this case, it quite literally didn't "pay", because the criminal in question rejected the cash he had just stolen from an unsuspecting ATM-user.

Security footage captured the bizarre moment the thief robbed a woman at an ICBC ATM, before handing her back the cash in an apparent display of goodwill.

According to reports, the harrowing incident took place in Heyuan, Guangdong province in South China last month.

This is the moment a thief steals a woman's cash moments before handing it straight back to her:

The video, obtained by China Global Television Network, shows how the would-be thief approached his female victim brandishing a knife.

The mugger is then seen talking with the unaccompanied woman who, fearing for her life, hands the man all of her cash, reportedly worth 2,500 yuan ($370 US).

Not content with the amount he had been given, it is believed that the brazen robber then demanded more money.

He then has the terrified woman show him her bank balance, and that is evidently when his charitable side kicked in. Her bank balance was reportedly at zero, and so the man decides to return the cash.

Credit: Newsflare / Screenshot

Seeming unperturbed by his failed quest for stolen money, the man then walks off smiling. The unexpected gesture did not, however, mean that he had gotten away with the attempted mugging.

In fact, following the incident, the man was arrested by police and apparently told them that he had spent a huge amount on surgery and on his children's education.

He was planning to cover the costs through a single mugging which is why he returned the money when his victim's bank balance proved insufficient.

The incident is currently still under investigation.