The incident happened in China's Jingshan when the victim was asleep and an intruder broke into her home and walked into her bedroom. On hearing the sound, she woke up and screamed loudly, following which the intruder tried to grab her neck, covered her mouth and tried to molest her.
The quick-thinking woman then started coughing and told the man: 'I just came back from Wuhan and I already have symptoms of an infection so I stayed home and isolated myself.'

Frightened by her claims he ran away, while stealing a phone and cash worth 3,080 (£338) from her. The woman then contacted the police who immediately launched an investigation into the matter.

However, the man turned himself in after officers launched a search to find him and confessed to burglary.

According to Oriental Daily, the 25-year-old intruder who lives in Pingba Township, Chongqing, China, ran away from home after having an argument with his family.