A Chinese tourist bought a cheap tour to travel to Southeast Asia for 7 days but was kidnapped upon arrival.
A 26-year-old man surnamed Zhang from Hubei province was rescued after three years of being kidnapped and forced to work for an online gambling ring in a Southeast Asian country.
Responding to Jimu News, Zhang said that in November 2019 he bought a 7-day tour to a Southeast Asian country, but the travel agency did not disclose the specific destination. The tour price was 630 USD, 420 USD cheaper than the market price.
Zhang was excited about the trip, but when he landed, he was taken straight to a factory in the city. When he arrived, the driver told him: "Get off the car, you will work here from now on." The male tourist was very scared when his phone, ID card, and passport were confiscated. When he tried to resist, he was beaten by the kidnappers.
Zhang was beaten and hospitalized during his kidnapping abroad. Photo: Baidu
Zhang's daily job here is to sell products and convince people to join the online gambling platform. Zhang is not good at speaking, so his work efficiency is poor and he is often beaten.
Six months after the kidnapping, a manager told Zhang he could be released and sent home for 111,000 yuan ($15,500). Zhang’s parents paid the ransom, but he was later sold to a second company. The scam repeated itself, with Zhang and his family losing their money. His parents used up all their savings to pay the scammers $140,000 to save their son, but their son was still not returned.
Zhang was severely beaten and hospitalized. There, he asked a local travel agent to make him a new passport. The agent eventually sold Zhang to a third company. At the third company, while the scammers were not looking, Zhang contacted the local police. He was rescued in October 2022.
Zhang decided to share his story to warn others to be cautious when traveling internationally. "Choose a reputable travel agency and if you receive promises or tour prices that are too good to be true, you should reconsider," Zhang said.
The story quickly spread across China. Many people were shocked by the news. "Many people still believe in cheap travel with good tours. It's a trap," one person commented.
Being tricked into slavery like Zhang's is not uncommon in China. Often people are tricked into accepting "dream jobs" such as light work with high salaries, only to be kidnapped and beaten at work.
Anh Minh (According to SCMP )
Source link
Comment (0)