Reunion of Mother and Son, Photo Provided by Suzhou Police
The other day, Li Zihao, a third-grade student at an elementary school in Shengze, Wujiang, went to school in the morning but did not return home by evening. The homeroom teacher informed the boy's mother that Zihao was at a "relative's" house. When the family tried to contact the "relative," the caller immediately demanded a ransom of 200,000 yuan.
After receiving the report, the Wujiang Public Security Bureau quickly mobilized police forces to carry out investigative work. Under the command of the Suzhou Public Security Bureau and with the cooperation of relevant departments, within six hours of the report, the police first arrested the suspect Dai Yujin. They then successfully rescued the kidnapped Li Zihao from an abandoned house in Beijiao Village in Shengze Town. Subsequently, the police also captured the fleeing suspect Zhang Zhengdang. However, during the process of capturing the suspects, Officer Weng Bingtao accidentally fell into a deep ditch and was injured, fortunately without life-threatening injuries.
â–¡Fast News Reporter Chen Hongjiang He Jie
A Ten-Year-Old Kidnapped, Ransom Demanded for 200,000 Yuan
At around 6:30 PM the previous evening, the Shengze police station of Wujiang received a report from migrant worker Li Jiaping from Gushi, Henan, stating that his 10-year-old nephew, Li Zihao, had been kidnapped. The kidnappers were demanding 200,000 yuan in cash or they would "tear up the ticket."
According to the child's mother, Zhang Shuying, in the second half of 2008, her entire family moved to Shengze to work. Zihao currently attends a local elementary school and is in the third grade. Normally, the child returns home at around 4:30 PM every afternoon. However, that day, until nearly 6:00 PM, there was no sign of the child.
Zhang Shuying rushed to the school, where the homeroom teacher informed her that Zihao had not attended class that morning. "A relative of yours called me, saying the child was at their place and gave me a phone number to contact you."
At this point, Zhang Shuying felt puzzled as she did not have any relatives in Wujiang. She quickly returned home and dialed the phone number. A man answered, saying, "Your child got lost and has been crying here all day. Come quickly and take him home!" Before Zhang Shuying could clearly hear the address, the man hung up the phone.
Suspiciously, Zhang Shuying immediately sought out her neighbor, Zihao's uncle Li Jiaping, asking him to help find Zihao's father and sister who were working, planning to go together to pick up the child. After learning about the situation, Li Jiaping called the "good Samaritan's" phone to try and determine the specific location to pick up the child. "I have your child. You'd better not report it to the police; if you do, you won't see the child again. Quickly bring 200,000 yuan to redeem him!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuying was immediately frightened and didn't know what to do. After careful consideration, Li Jiaping still decided to report it to the police.
Over 300 Policemen Worked Overnight, One Officer Injured
With the New Year approaching, someone actually dared to kidnap a student and demand ransom, which drew high attention from Suzhou's police force. During the rescue operation, officers kept in contact with the kidnappers via mobile phone to delay time and ensure the child's safety while simultaneously conducting intensive investigations. Additionally, the police set up roadblocks at key entrances and exits in Shengze to prevent the suspects from taking the hostage away from the area.
"A suspicious motorcycle was found near Beijiao Village." At midnight on the previous evening, the special task force learned that the suspects Dai Yujin and Zhang Zhengdang were highly likely to be active in Beijiao Village. They quickly organized police forces to form a surrounding circle around Beijiao Village and conducted a thorough search outdoors. At around 1:00 AM the next morning, the kidnappers ran out of options and left the hostage in the woods of Beijiao Village before hastily fleeing. To quickly capture the suspects and rescue the victim, reduce casualties, over 300 officers braved the cold wind and searched tree by tree, ravine by ravine in the dark night.
During the process of capturing the criminal suspects, Officer Weng Bingtao took the lead. Due to the darkness and slippery roads, Weng Bingtao stumbled in the bushes with his left foot, falling into a deep ditch, injuring his left foot, which instantly swelled like a bun. Despite the severe pain, Weng Bingtao continued to search for the criminals. Eventually, under the strong encirclement, suspect Dai Yujin surrendered from a hay stack, and minutes later, the police successfully rescued the victim Li Zihao in an abandoned vacant house. By this time, only six hours had passed since the report.
After suspect Dai Yujin was apprehended, the police immediately interrogated him and confirmed that another suspect was indeed Zhang Zhengdang, who had fled during the earlier search. The on-site arrest team immediately split into two groups, one escorting and questioning Dai Yujin, the other pursuing Zhang Zhengdang along the direction he fled. At around 3:00 AM, suspect Zhang Zhengdang was captured by the checkpoint police while fleeing from Beijiao Village towards Pingwang Xiaowei.
"Get Close to the New Year, Kidnap a Child for Some Money"
After preliminary investigation by Suzhou police, suspect Dai Yujin is 35 years old, and Zhang Zhengdang is 25 years old, both from Donghai, Jiangsu. Both work in Shengze, Wujiang. Dai Yujin drives an unlicensed motorcycle for a living, while Zhang Zhengdang is a carpenter who earns money through odd jobs.
Dai Yujin confessed that a week ago, Zhang Zhengdang came to his rented place and said it was almost the New Year, "Kidnap a child and get some money." This meant kidnapping a child and then demanding money from the child's family. Initially, he disagreed, but later Zhang Zhengdang asked him only to keep an eye on the child, and he wouldn't have to worry about anything else, with a share of the money afterward. Thus, he agreed. After planning together, they decided to kidnap elementary school students and extort money. On the morning of December 29, 2010, they went to the gate of a local elementary school to scout.
"Find a child alone, less likely to be noticed." They discussed this, not caring that it was a school for migrant workers' children where the families weren't well-off, just wanting to get some money and stop. That day, they did not find a suitable target.
Although they did not find a suitable target, Dai Yujin and Zhang Zhengdang were unwilling to give up so easily. Early in the morning on the previous day, they returned to the school gate. At that moment, Zihao with his backpack caught their attention. Without hesitation, Dai Yujin rode the motorcycle quietly behind Zihao, and Zhang Zhengdang sitting at the back suddenly grabbed Zihao onto the motorcycle and covered his mouth. Then, they quickly fled the scene.
Soon, they brought Zihao to an abandoned small wooden house in the woods of Beijiao Village in Shengze Town. Initially, they tied Zihao with cloth ropes, but after seeing that Zihao was completely under their control, they untied him. However, things did not go as planned. Unexpectedly, Zihao couldn't remember a single phone number of his own family, only the teacher's number. Thus, they had no choice but to call Zihao's teacher. After several twists and turns, they finally found the person to extort, leading to the opening scene.
Currently, Dai Yujin and Zhang Zhengdang have been criminally detained by the police, and the case is under further review.
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