A court in central China's Henan Province announced on Monday that it will retry the case of a mentally disabled man who was imprisoned for nearly three years after being charged with robbery.

The Luoyang Intermediate People's Court said in a statement that Lu Tianxi's case would be reheard at the Xigong District People's Court on Nov. 1.

Lu, 34, was sent into prison three years ago for allegedly robbing a 91-year-old man of 55 yuan (8.7 U.S. dollars) in Luoyang, 125 km west of Henan's capital city of Zhengzhou.

Lu's family was not informed about his imprisonment until July as Lu had provided interrogators with incorrect information about his name and his family's address.

The Sanmenxia Prison, where Lu was being held, released him on Aug. 22 after a prisoner surnamed Liu at the prison recognized Lu and reported his mental disability to prison guards.

Liu, who was from the same village as Lu, told the guards that Lu has been mentally disabled since early childhood.

The case garnered attention after media reported on Lu's mental condition.

The Luoyang municipal government has since set up a joint investigation team to look into the case and to conduct a judicial appraisal over Lu's mental state.

The appraisal indicated that Lu was responsible for the crime although his criminal capability may be limited, said Gao Maozeng, deputy secretary of the Luoyang Municipal Committee of Political Science and Law.

However, the appraisal was rejected by Lu's uncle, who blamed the court for passing an incorrect judgement and filed an appeal.

Following the appraisal, the Xigong District People's Court offered Lu and his family 300,000 yuan in relief funds as Lu's family lives in poverty, Gao said.

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