A 19-year-old Chinese man barely survived the worst four months of his life after being seduced and then sold into slavery by his 17-year-old girlfriend.
Chinese media recently reported the shocking case of a young man from Zhanjiang, in China’s Guangdong province, who endured four months of captivity and torture at the hands of a scam ring in Myanmar, after being lured into a trap by his teenage girlfriend. The victim’s sister claims the two met at a local pool hall where the 17-year-old girl hung out in revealing outfits and wore counterfeit designer handbags to project an aura of wealth. Her brother was instantly drawn to her and hung on her every word when she bragged about her family’s operations in Southern Asia, even though she never offered any proof. She repeatedly tried to convince the 19-year-old to travel with her to the neighboring country for lucrative work opportunities, and eventually, he accepted, despite his family’s opposition.
Photo: China.com
In February of this year, the pair secretly traveled to Thailand, with his family learning about his whereabouts from his friends. On their way back, while approaching the Thailand-Myanmar border, the 17-year-old girl made up a story about having to pick someone up close by and simply abandoned her boyfriend in the middle of nowhere. Shortly after, a group of armed men approched him, took all his documents and his mobile phone before taking him to a secret compund.
“My brother told me people with guns had taken him away,” the teen’s sister recalled, adding that this was all he was able to text her before his phone was taken away.
The 19-year-old Chinese man was taken to a secluded camp, his head was shaved, and he was forced to sit in front of a computer for 16 – 20 hours a day, carrying out scams against his fellow countrymen. If he failed to reach his daily quotas or if his efforts didn’t bear fruit, the young man faced severe physical punishment, including being hit with metal rods over his back and head.
Photo: China.com
During his captivity, the 19-year-old victim lost over 10 kilograms due to food deprivation, and due to the repeated beatings, he suffered permanent hearing loss. However, because he turned out to be extremely bad at scamming people, his captors decided he wasn’t going to make them any money that way, so they decided to contact his family and ask for a ransom.
In June of 2025, the teen’s family managed to raise the 350,000 yuan ($49,000) ransom and secured his release. However, the rescued teenager lives in constant anxiety and fear of being abducted and tortured again. He has nightmares about his four months in captivity and has developed paranoia.
As for his treacherous girlfriend, she was arrested after returning to China following a ten-day vacation in Thailand and now faces charges for her involvement in the victim’s abduction by the Myanmar scam ring.
Photo: China.com
“She’s only 17 years old. Who would have thought she could do something so evil?” the victim’s sister told reporters. “It’s unbelievable that she’s capable of such despicable acts at such a young age.”
