A Chinese thief is being praised as the “world’s kindest crook” after video footage went viral showing him take pity on a woman he was trying to rob.

The woman in the video, who has only been identified by her last name of Li, was withdrawing cash at an ATM at an ICBC Bank in Heyuan, China when a man with a knife suddenly ran up demanding money. Li immediately handed over the 2,500 yuan ($371) that she had just withdrawn, but the man wanted more, so he asked to see her account balance.

As soon as the man saw that the account balance was zero, he smiled at the woman and handed back over the money before walking away. Li can be seen looking on in shock as the man leaves.

Heyuan Police later tracked the man down and detained him, identifying him by his surname of Deng. He told police that he had only tried to rob the woman because he “did not have a permanent job.”

Video of the robbery has quickly gone viral, being viewed over two million times. Social media users all over the world have been praising the man for his compassionate gesture in giving the woman back her money.

“He smiled because he realised it was funny robbing someone without money on their bank account, he felt bad,” one social media user commented, while another added, “He gave it back because you never steal from the poor. A man gots to have a code.”