Ants ate Rao's more than 40,000 yuan and two bankbooks. (CNS/Ding Chen)

When Rao opened the wooden box in a loft on the second floor of her house, she found only an ant cave. All 40,000 yuan and the two bankbooks that she had put in the box were gone.

Rao told local police in southeast China's Fujian province that someone had stolen 4,000 yuan and two of her bankbooks on Jan. 10, 2016. Rao burst into tears when the police came to her house. To ensure her safety, police called Rao's relatives to come to the house.

In fact, the actual sum of the money was 40,000, not 4,000. For fear that her relatives might scold her, Rao only reported 4,000 yuan as stolen. The money was saved from what her children had sent to her over the years, said Rao.

Ants ate Rao's more than 40,000 yuan and two bankbooks. (CNS/Ding Chen)

Rao put her savings and bankbooks in plastic bags in her loft and cleaned the box once or twice a year. At the beginning of 2015, Rao found her savings and bankbooks still in the box. However, in 2016, both the money and bankbooks were gone.

After an investigation, the police came to the conclusion that ants ate Rao's more than 40,000 yuan and two bankbooks.

Ants ate Rao's more than 40,000 yuan and two bankbooks. (CNS/Ding Chen)