A teenage love story turned into a nightmare when a 19 year old Chinese boy was betrayed by his 17 year old girlfriend and sold to scam gangs in Myanmar for 100,000 yuan (around 500,000 Thai baht).
The victim, from Zhanjiang in Guangdong province, endured four months of torture, forced labour, and starvation before his family managed to secure his release for a staggering 350,000 yuan.
The young man first met the girl at a pool hall. His sister later described her as “flashy,” pointing out her provocative clothes and fake designer bags. Claiming to be Hokkien, the teenager boasted her parents were investment managers and often spoke of family business ventures in Myanmar.
“She kept trying to lure my brother to Myanmar with promises of work,” the victim’s sister told Xiaoxiang Morning Post. “My brother was completely lovesick.”
In February this year, the smitten 19 year old secretly travelled to Bangkok with his girlfriend. Soon after, relatives became suspicious when friends posted WeChat updates showing him near the Thai-Myanmar border.
“Things started to feel off when we found out he was at the border,” his sister recalled. It was there that his girlfriend abandoned him, claiming she had to pick someone up. Armed men seized his passport and phone moments later.
For the next four months, the teen was forced into a scam compound. Guards shaved his head and beat him regularly, striking his waist with metal rods and pinching his ears. Failures to meet daily quotas of online “keyboard fraud” led to further punishment.
“He told me people with guns had taken him away,” his sister said after one desperate phone call.
Goody Feed reported that the boy worked 16 to 20 hours a day, endured constant hunger, and lost over 10kg. The repeated blows to his head caused permanent hearing loss.
After months of failed rescue efforts, his family finally scraped together the ransom. He was released in June, traumatised and paranoid about being kidnapped again.
Meanwhile, the girlfriend was arrested upon her return to China from a holiday in Thailand. Facing fraud and trafficking charges, her trial has been delayed but is expected to proceed soon.
“She’s only 17 years old. Who would have thought she could do something so evil?” the victim’s sister said. “It’s unbelievable she’s capable of such despicable acts.”
The story Chinese girl trafficks boyfriend to Myanmar, parties in Thailand as seen on Thaiger News.
