Beijing (CNN) Chinese police are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence as they take the motto "you can run, but you can't hide" to a whole new level.

In less than two months, police in three cities across the country caught three different suspected criminals at concerts of popular Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung.

Facial recognition technology identified the men as they passed through security checkpoints, according to state media.

Although the three suspects were all wanted for relatively minor crimes, the string of concert arrests has generated headlines throughout China, prompting the star to address the issue.

"I thank them for attending my concerts," Cheung told reporters. "But it did give everyone food for thought: If you steal, you'll get caught no matter where you go."

Read More