Chinese student fined for staging kidnap in Malaysia
Two Chinese students studying in Singapore were punished for staging a fake abduction.
A Chinese student has been fined by a Malaysian court for staging a fake kidnapping in Kuala Lumpur to extort millions from a classmate's parents, while a second student involved was released after the victim's mother dropped the case.
On May 27, the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court fined the 23-year-old surnamed Zhang, who studies at the National University of Singapore, 17,000 ringgit (US$4,000). He had initially denied the charge but later pleaded guilty to deception. Failure to pay the fine would result in six months' imprisonment.
The second student, 18-year-old Ye, also a Chinese national studying in Singapore, was released after his mother withdrew her police report. Authorities clarified that the case was closed at her request, but Ye has not been formally cleared of wrongdoing.
According to court documents, the hoax began on May 2, when Zhang sent pre-recorded videos to Ye's parents showing Ye appearing to be beaten and held hostage. Zhang demanded a ransom of 3.5 million yuan (US$485,820) and threatened to kill Ye and harvest his organs.
Both students were arrested by local police on May 13. A day later, a friend who had helped Ye's parents report the case pointed out suspicious details. In the video, the "victim" was not blindfolded, suggesting he knew his "abductor," and the wounds on his body were found to be faked using red paint.
