Livestreamer, husband charged with extortion as abbot suspended for sexual affair
The abbot of a temple in southwest China's Sichuan Province has become entangled in an extortion case after falling into a honey trap laid by a female livestreamer, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
The female livestreamer surnamed Cai and her husband surnamed Qian were charged with extorting 3.2 million yuan (US$439,600) by the prosecution. The case was heard recently in the Mingshan District Court in Ya'an City, Sichuan, with the verdict yet to be announced.
The monk, surnamed Zhang, was appointed abbot of Pujiang Shixiang Temple in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, in 2005. He has also served as the vice president of the Sichuan Buddhist Association and president of the Pujiang County Buddhist Association.
Zhang has been suspended from his position, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Wednesday.
The abbot of Pujiang Shixiang Temple in Chengdu, Sichuan, surnamed Zhang.
According to the indictment, Cai and her husband ran a business selling high-end wooden furniture via livestreaming. In late 2020, Zhang met the couple while purchasing furniture and remained in touch with them.
On February 24, 2021, Cai met with Zhang at a hotel in Chengdu and they had sex. Later, her husband Qian discovered their relationship and learned that Zhang was a monk. He then asked Cai to arrange another meeting with Zhang in Fujian Province.
On April 23, Qian secretly recorded a video of Cai and Zhang having another sexual encounter in a hotel room in Fujian through a hidden camera he had installed in advance.
Following which, using the video as a blackmail tool, the couple began extorting money from the abbot, gaining more than 3 million yuan in two years.
The couple was arrested by police in Ya'an in February 2023, following a complaint from Zhang, who was concerned about potential further extortion.
The prosecution charged Qian and Cai with extortion for demanding 3.2 million yuan from Zhang, of which 1.19 million was recognized as successful extortion, and 2 million as attempted extortion.
Qian was believed to be the main culprit while Cai played a secondary role, according to the prosecution.
The source of the funds involved in the case is currently under investigation, an official of Chengdu's Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs told Changjiang Daily.
