A man from China who bought a cheap holiday package to Southeast Asia has been kidnapped by casino human traffickers. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
A nightmarish ordeal
The nightmarish story of a Chinese tourist who bought a cheap vacation trip to Southeast Asia, and instead was kidnapped by an illegal gambling gang, recently went viral on China’s social media channels.
According to the South China Morning NewspaperThe 26-year-old, identified only by his surname Zhang, shared his experience to warn people to be extra careful when booking cheap tours.
In November 2019, the man from Hubei Province purchased a seven-day vacation to an undisclosed Southeast Asian country for 4,500 yuan (US$630), which he stated was 3,000 yuan (US$420) cheaper than other packages on the market.
Get out of the car, you’re working here now.
Upon arriving at his holiday destination, he was taken to the city’s factory district and told: “Get out of the car, you’re working here now.” Until police rescued him in October 2022, he was forced to work for three different human smuggling companies.
Hit and not broken
Although Zhang tried to fight the kidnappers, they eventually overpowered him and confiscated all his personal belongings including his passport, ID and phone. Instead of vacation, he was assigned to work in sales for an illegal company, with the task of recruiting customers to the online gambling platform.
the SCMP He cited Zhang as saying that his honesty made him a poor salesman So the kidnappers often beat him because of his performance at work. Six months into his ordeal, Zhang was told that he would be released if he paid 111,000 yuan (US$15,500). The victim was allowed to contact his parents, who paid the kidnappers’ ransom, but instead of being released, Zhang was sold to another illegal company.
The kidnappers would repeat the offer to release Zhang
Chinese media reported that the kidnappers would repeat the offer to release Zhang, with his parents paying nearly 1 million yuan (US$140,000) in total.
The brave Zhang even tried to escape while in the hospital due to the serious injuries inflicted on him by his second employer. But his attempt backfired when the local agent he contacted to secure a new passport for him sold it to another illegal company.
But at his new workplace, Zhang was able to contact the local police, bringing his three-year nightmare to an end.
Zhang’s plight became widespread
When Zhang’s shocking story recently surfaced on Chinese social media, it went viral. the SCMP “What a terrible story,” one social media user reported commenting. Another said: “A lot of people think pennies can fall from the sky, but that’s probably a trap.”
Zhang agreed, warning holidaymakers to only book through official travel agents, and to beware of prices that are “too good to be true”.
