2 Chinese students arrested in Malaysia for faking kidnapping to extort millions from parents

Two Chinese men studying in Singapore were arrested in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 13, after staging a fake kidnapping in an attempt to extort 5 million yuan (US$690,000) from one of their parents, The Beijing News reported on Thursday.

The scheme unfolded in a local hotel in Johor Bahru, the capital of Malaysia's Johor State, where the 18-year-old student posed as a kidnapping victim. A video was sent to his parents, who run a business in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, showing him allegedly beaten and strangled, with threats of organ harvesting if the ransom wasn't paid.

Local authorities launched an immediate investigation. Within 48 hours, police rescued the "victim" and arrested one suspect.

A man surnamed Huang, who had helped the parents of the "victim" report the incident, told The Beijing News the student's eyes weren't covered in the video, indicating he likely knew his "abductor." What appeared to be injuries were later revealed to be red paint.

The "abductor" was a 23-year-old Chinese also studying in Singapore. Both are now out on bail of 30,000 Malaysian ringgit (US$6,400) each and have been ordered to surrender their passports. Their case is scheduled to be heard on May 27.

Previous report: https://www.shine.cn/news/world/2505088427/