A man in Dazhou, Sichuan province, wanted to vent to the police after a quarrel with his wife. So he reported that he had killed five family members, Western China Metropolis Daily reported on Friday.

In a phone call to the police at about 9 pm on June 11, the man, surnamed Du, said he wanted to give up. Officers quickly went to Du's home and found that his family members were all alive and well. Then Du confessed that he had made up the story to let off steam.

Du was detained for five days for making a false report of a crime.