Angry wife accused of burning 400 phones

BEIJING (AP) - A spurned Chinese wife set fire to more than 400 cell phones owned by her and her husband after he walked out on their marriage, a news agency reported Friday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the 37-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Wang, was arrested for arson.

The couple had owned a successful retail phone business in Weifang, the eastern province of Shandong. However, their shaky relationship hit rock bottom when her husband left her on March 3, the news agency reported, citing the local Qilu Evening News.

Overcome with despair, the woman gathered up their entire stock of more than 400 new mobile phones, reportedly valued at more than 300,000 yuan ($42,000), and set them on fire, before walking out of the house, the report said.

Neighbors who saw smoke coming from the house called firefighters, who quickly extinguished the blaze.