Our staff reporter (Guo Yuhong) - A 17-year-old female student, while attending a hometown gathering organized by classmates, was subjected to violent coercion by several young men surnamed Ma from Kanglexian. When she faced sexual assault, the female student fought back fiercely and jumped from the fifth floor of a hotel, sustaining serious injuries. Through meticulous investigation, the police successfully dismantled a gang of young men surnamed Ma from Kanglexian involved in theft and robbery. On July 1, 15 defendants went on trial at the Intermediate People's Court of Lanzhou, charged with six crimes including rape, robbery, snatching, theft, concealing or covering up criminal proceeds, and harboring criminals. Due to the case involving personal privacy and minors, the court legally held a closed-door trial and will announce the verdict at a later date.
On the evening of August 9, 2008, Xiao Lei, a 17-year-old girl studying at a certain Traditional Chinese Medicine school, followed her classmate Xiao Ling from Kanglexian to attend a hometown gathering hosted by Xiao Ling's cousin Ma Tao. During the event, Ma Liang (at large), a man from Kanglexian with malicious intent, lured Xiao Lei and others to drink alcohol at the "Tianlong" Hotel on Jian Gou Yan Road in Qilihe District. Because Xiao Lei refused to drink alcohol, Ma Liang revealed his true colors and ordered Xiao Lei to "spend the night with him." After being rejected, Ma Liang and Ma Cheng violently assaulted Xiao Lei using a belt and beer bottles, while Ma Mu blocked the door. In desperation, unwilling to suffer humiliation, Xiao Lei climbed onto the windowsill and jumped from the fifth floor, resulting in multiple fractures and her left eyeball bursting.
Within the following month, through undercover investigations, the Qilihe police captured suspects Ma Long, Ma Cheng, Ma Hu, Ma Tao, and others at an internet cafe in Xigu District on August 29. The police discovered that this was a loose group of more than ten people from Kanglexian who made a living through motorcycle thefts and snatch thefts on motorcycles.
From September 4 to 10, 2008, the Qilihe police successively captured Ma Mu, who was preparing to flee, and eight other members of the gang near the train station, Jian Gou Yan Road, and the South Bus Station. On November 12 of the same year, Ma Bai, suspected of committing snatch theft, was also arrested.
Upon investigation, it was confirmed that all members of the gang were farmers around 20 years old from Kanglexian who had come to Lanzhou for work, among whom two were minors. They were loosely structured and homeless. From April to September 2008, three small gangs led by Ma Qiao, Ma Hu, and Ma Long respectively formed cross-partnerships and carried out crimes in the Qilihe District: stealing electric scooters and motorcycles; riding motorcycles to snatch items from passersby; and following drivers until they stopped at red lights, then either pulling open car doors or reaching through partially open windows to snatch bags containing money. Some of the stolen goods were handed over to Ma Ke for sale. Using similar methods, the gang committed over 80 cases of snatching, robbery, and theft in areas such as Ma Tan in Qilihe District, under the Xiaoxihu Overpass, and in Yantan in Chengguan District. In May 2009, the prosecution brought charges against 17 verified cases of theft, robbery, and rape.
During the trial, facing the charges, some defendants retracted their confessions. Due to the excessive number of offenses, even co-defendants could not clearly state the specific circumstances during the commission of the crimes. Xiao Lei, who suffered Grade 7 disability and faced the removal of her eye, requested a total of 380,000 yuan in civil compensation from Ma Cheng and Ma Mu, who were accused of rape, as well as the "Tianlong" Hotel. Both defendants claimed they were unable to pay compensation, and their families, acting on their behalf, stated they could only afford 3,000 yuan. The "Tianlong" Hotel, believing they bore no responsibility, had already paid 10,000 yuan in economic compensation after the incident and refused further compensation in court. (All defendant names in the article are pseudonyms.)