Utah State Police have revealed that a Chinese student who went missing last week and was found over the weekend may have been the victim of an international cyber kidnapping plot.
“We believe the victim was isolated in a tent at the direction of the cyber kidnapper,” Riverdale police said in a statement. Investigators said they were working with the FBI and the U.S. Embassy in China to find the kidnappers.
“The victim had no heat source in the tent, only a heating blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water, and several phones that were believed to have been used in the cyber kidnapping,” a ministry spokesperson said. He explained.
“The victim simply wanted to talk to his family to make sure they were safe and requested a warm cheeseburger, both of which were fulfilled on the way back to the Riverdale Police Department,” the spokesperson added.
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According to police, 17-year-old Kai Chuan went missing on December 28, 2023, when she was “forcibly taken away” and “pinned down to a well”, but later left alone due to cyber fraud. It has become clear. Qiang's host family reported him missing at 8:30pm on Thursday night.
Riverdale police filed a missing person report for 17-year-old Kai Chuan early Friday morning. (Riverdale Police Department)
Police issued a missing person advisory Friday after receiving a report from a local school. Later, Zhuang's parents received a photo of their son along with a ransom letter.
Police in another Utah city found Zhuang with camping equipment on Dec. 20 and returned him to his host family, fearing the weather was too extreme, but Zhuang had already contacted his kidnappers. USA Today reported.
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Zhuang's host family said Zhuang had returned home the night before, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Early Thursday morning, they heard him moving around the house but had no concerns about it. FOX59 reported.
Kai Zhuang went missing on Thursday, December 28th. He was last seen at 3:30 a.m. (Riverdale City, Utah) (Riverdale City, Utah)
After his host family reported not hearing from him, they found his camping equipment missing, and police tracked his cell phone to the Brigham Canyon area, where they used drones and helicopters to conduct a mass search. An extensive search was conducted. Sergeant Derek Engstrom hiked to the area Sunday where he discovered Zhuang's tent.
“Sergeant Engstrom contacted the victim inside the tent and found him to be alive, but extremely cold and frightened,” police said. “The victim felt relieved when she came to the police.”
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Police quickly linked Zhuang's disappearance to a recent wave of scams targeting international students, overwhelmingly Chinese students. In this scam, the kidnappers separately convinced the students and their families that their families were under threat, and used the students' disappearances to extort money from the families.
Main Street in Brigham City, Utah. (Education Images/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)
Qiang's family transferred approximately $80,000 to a Chinese bank account after receiving threats from the kidnappers and photos of Qiang appearing to be kidnapped and in danger. was.
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The scammers may have used video conferencing to keep tabs on Zhuang, who was isolated during the incident. Police have not yet identified a suspect and are continuing to search.
“Cyber kidnappers continue to blackmail families by using fear tactics, photographs and audio recordings of their victims, making them believe that the kidnappers are with their victims and are harming them. ,” police said.
