Police catch Chinese live-streaming hosts hiding in Ikea wardrobe during broadcast
Security guards call police after live-streaming hosts found during broadcast while hidden inside wardrobe after Beijing Ikea store closes on Saturday
Two live-streaming hosts were caught hiding inside a wardrobe after an Ikea store closed in Beijing because they had wanted to broadcast during their overnight stay there, mainland media reported.
The pair – inspired by similar attempts to hide in Ikea stores by people abroad – started their Saturday night broadcast on the live-streaming app Yizhibo while posing as regular customers wandering around the store.
However, they soon revealed to the audience that they planned to spend the night hidden inside, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
The hosts started to search for a hiding place as the time approached 10pm, the mall’s closing time, and eventually chose to sneak inside a big wardrobe.
However, this was not enough to end their broadcast. The two hosts kept the live-streaming going while they were being interrogated by the police, too.
They finally ended the live-streaming broadcast about an hour later when it was discovered what they were doing.
Some internet users criticised the two for causing unnecessary trouble for staff at the Ikea store.
The hosts later apologised on social media on Sunday, saying that they “had absolutely no ill intentions”.
The report did not say whether the couple would face any punishment.
The couple said they had been inspired by similar attempts at hiding in Ikea stores by people abroad and thought it would be a fun experience to remind people of their childhood memories of playing hide and seek.
Live-streaming hosts in China have often come up with quirky ideas to attract fans, including poking a hornets’ nest, jumping into a frozen lake, and drinking oil containing chillies.
