Reunion of mother and son, photo provided by Suzhou police
Two days ago, 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 told the boy's mother that Xiao Hao was at a "relative's" house. When the family contacted the "relative" by phone, the person immediately demanded a ransom of 200,000 yuan.
After receiving the report, the Wujiang Public Security Bureau quickly mobilized police forces to carry out investigation work. Under the command of the Suzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau and with the cooperation of relevant departments, six hours after the report, the police first arrested the suspect Dai Yujin, then successfully rescued the kidnapped Li Zihao in an empty house in Beijiao Village, Shengze Town, and subsequently 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 Times reporter Chen Hongjiang, He Jie
A ten-year-old child was kidnapped, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 200,000 yuan.
At around 6:30 PM the other night, the Shengze Police Station of Wujiang Public Security Bureau received a report from migrant worker Li Jiaping from Gushi, Henan, stating that his 10-year-old nephew Li Zihao had been kidnapped, and the kidnappers were demanding 200,000 yuan in cash, otherwise they would "tear up the ticket."
According to the boy's mother, Zhang Shuying, in the second half of 2008, her entire family moved to Shengze to work. Xiao Hao currently attends a local elementary school and is in the third grade. Normally, the child goes home around 4:30 PM every day, but that day until nearly 6 PM in the evening, there was no sign of the child.
Zhang Shuying ran to the school, where the homeroom teacher informed her that Xiao Hao did not attend class that morning. "A relative of your family gave me a call, saying the child went to their house, and left a mobile phone number for you to contact them."
At this point, Zhang Shuying felt puzzled, as she did not have any relatives in Wujiang. She quickly returned home and dialed the mobile phone, where a man answered and said, "Your child got lost and has been crying all day here, come and take him home immediately!" Before Zhang Shuying could hear the address clearly, the man hung up the phone.
In doubt, Zhang Shuying immediately went to find her neighbor, Uncle Li Jiaping, asking for help to find her husband and sister who were working, preparing to go together to pick up the child. After learning the situation, Li Jiaping called the "good Samaritan's" mobile phone to confirm the specific address to pick up the child. "The child is in my hands, you'd better not report it to the police, or you won't see the child again. Hurry up and 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 reported the incident to the police.
More than 300 policemen worked through the night, one officer was injured.
On the eve of the New Year, someone actually dared to kidnap a student for ransom, which drew high attention from the Suzhou police. During the rescue operation, on one hand, the police used mobile phones to contact the kidnappers to delay time and ensure the safety of the child; on the other hand, a thorough investigation was also underway. In addition, the police set up checkpoints and roadblocks at major 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 in Shengze." At midnight the other night, the special investigation team learned that the suspects Dai Yujin and Zhang Zhengdang were highly likely to be active around Beijiao Village in Shengze, so they quickly organized police forces to form a cordon around Beijiao Village and conducted a meticulous search outdoors. At around 1 AM the next morning, the kidnappers were cornered and abandoned the hostage in the woods of Beijiao Village before fleeing hastily. To capture the suspects as soon as possible and rescue the victim, reduce casualties, more than 300 officers braved the cold wind and searched tree by tree, ravine by ravine in the dark night.
During the process of capturing the suspects, Officer Weng Bingtao was in the lead. Due to the darkness and slippery roads, Weng Bingtao's left foot slipped in the bushes, causing him to fall into a deep ditch, resulting in a sprained left foot that swelled like a bun. However, Weng Bingtao endured the severe pain and continued to search for the criminals. Eventually, under the strong encirclement and capture, suspect Dai Yujin surrendered from a hay stack, and a few minutes later, the police successfully rescued the victim Li Zihao in an idle empty house, only six hours after the report.
After suspect Dai Yujin was apprehended, the police immediately interrogated him and determined that another suspect was indeed Zhang Zhengdang, who escaped during the previous pursuit. The on-site arrest group immediately split into two teams, one escorting and questioning Dai Yujin, and the other pursuing and cutting off Zhang Zhengdang's escape route. At around 3 AM yesterday, suspect Zhang Zhengdang was captured by the checkpoint police while fleeing from Beijiao Village towards Pingwang Xiaowei.
"Close to the New Year, let's kidnap a child and get some money"
According to the preliminary review 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 illegal motorcycles for a living, while Zhang Zhengdang is a carpenter who makes a living by taking jobs.
Dai Yujin confessed that a week ago, Zhang Zhengdang came to his rented place and said, "It's almost the New Year, let's kidnap a child and get some money." Meaning to kidnap a child and then ask the family for money. At the time, he disagreed, but later Zhang Zhengdang asked him to only keep an eye on the child, not worry about anything else, and give him a share of the money when they get it, so he agreed. After planning together, they decided to kidnap primary school students and extort money. On the morning of December 29, 2010, they went to the gate of a local primary school to scout the location. "Find a child alone, less likely to be noticed." They discussed, without considering that it was a school for migrant workers' children, whose families were not well-off, just wanting to get some money and stop.
Although they did not find a suitable target, Dai Yujin and Zhang Zhengdang did not want to give up so easily. Two days ago at around 5:30 in the morning, they went to the gate of the same primary school again. This time, Xiao Hao carrying his schoolbag caught their attention. Without hesitation, Dai Yujin rode the motorcycle quietly behind Xiao Hao, and Zhang Zhengdang sitting at the back suddenly grabbed Xiao Hao onto the motorcycle and covered his mouth. Then, they quickly fled the scene.
Soon, they took Xiao Hao to an abandoned small wooden house in the forest in Beijiao Village, Shengze Town. Initially, they tied Xiao Hao with cloth ropes, but later seeing that Xiao Hao was completely under their control, they untied him. However, plans don't always go as expected. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hao couldn't even remember a single phone number of his own home, only remembering his homeroom teacher's number. So, they had to call Xiao Hao's teacher. After several twists and turns, they finally found the extortion target, leading to the beginning of the story.
Currently, Dai Yujin and Zhang Zhengdang have been criminally detained by the police, and the case is under further investigation.
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