Chinese man arrested on suspicion of faking kidnap and demanding 60,000 yuan ransom to cover debts
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 02 February, 2016, 12:08pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 02 February, 2016, 12:08pm
Gloria Chan
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A photograph taken from a video of a Chinese ‘kidnap’ victim, which he allegedly filmed himself so that he could obtain a ransom to pay off his debts. Photo: Newssc.org
A Chinese man in his 30s has been arrested by police on suspicion of faking his own kidnap and then demanding a 60,000 yuan (HK$70,000) ransom from his wife’s best friend, mainland media reports.
The man, identified only by his surname of Lan, had recently lost 70,000 yuan from bad online investments and reportedly faked his kidnap in the city of Chengdu, in Sichuan province, to obtain a ransom to cover his debts, the news website Newssc.org reported on Monday.
Lan was arrested on Monday after he reportedly went to a remote area of countryside outside the city and filmed a video of himself on January 26, which showed him kneeling on the ground with the blood of a chicken smeared across his face, while holding up a sign saying: “I have been kidnapped. They are asking for a 60,000 yuan ransom”.
The Chinese man, identified only by his surname of Lan, is questioned by Chengdu police after being arrested on suspicion of staging his own kidnap. Photo: Newssc.orgHe then sent the video to his wife’s best friend using WeChat social media.
His wife reported the matter to Chengdu police the same day.
After watching the video, police became suspicious because, apart from the blood smears, Lan did not appear to have any injuries on his face. Also his mobile phone had not been switched off, which was unusual in kidnap cases, the report said.
Police tracked down Lan and found him inside a Chengdu shopping mall in the early hours of January 27.
When asked whether he had been kidnapped, the man reportedly told police that he had made up the whole incident.
The report added that Lan and his wife were both migrant workers and did not have stable jobs in Chengdu.
