Nightmarish ordeal

The nightmarish story of a Chinese tourist who purchased a cheap package vacation to Southeast Asia and was instead kidnapped by an illegal gambling ring recently went viral on social media channels in China.

According to the South China Morning Post, the 26-year-old identified only by his surname Zhang, shared his experience to warn people about being more careful when booking cheap package tours.

In November 2019, the man from Hubei province bought 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 work here now.”

Upon arrival his holiday destination, he was taken to a factory district in the city and told: “Get out of the car, you work here now.” Until he was rescued by police in October 2022, he was forced to work for three different human trafficking firms.

Beaten, not broken

Although Zhang tried to fight off the kidnappers, they eventually overpowered him and confiscated all his personal belongings including passport, ID, and phone. Instead of a vacation, he was assigned to work in sales for the illegal firm, with the task of recruiting customers to the online gambling platform.

The SCMP cited Zhang as stating his honesty made him a poor salesman so the kidnappers often beat him up for his work performance. Six months into his ordeal, Zhang was told he would be freed if he paid 111,000 yuan (US$15,500). The victim was allowed to call his parents who paid the kidnappers’ ransom but instead of being released, Zhang was sold to another illegal firm.

kidnappers would repeat the offer to release Zhang

Chinese media reported that the kidnappers would repeat the offer to release Zhang, with his parents forking out approximately one million yuan (US$140,000) in total.

The courageous Zhang even attempted to escape while in the hospital for severe injuries inflicted on him by his second employer. His attempt backfired when the local agent he’d approached to secure him a new passport instead sold him to another illegal outfit.

In his new place of work, however, Zhang managed to contact the local police, which led to the end of his three-year nightmare.

Zhang’s plight goes viral

When Zhang’s shocking story emerged recently on Chinese social media, it went viral. The SCMP reported one social media user commenting “What a horrible story.” Another stated: “Many people believe that pennies can fall from heaven, but it probably is a trap.”

Zhang concurred, warning holidaymakers to book through official travel agents only and to be wary of prices “too good to be true.”