A young man in Shanghai plotted a kidnapping and blackmailed his father for 200,000 yuan (US$24,661).

Zhang, who is unemployed, complained to his friend Tao on July 31 about lacking money to buy his girlfriend a present on Chinese Valentine's Day. Tao then suggested he cheat money from his father by pretending to be kidnapped.

Zhang's father called police immediately on August 1 after Tao called him to say Zhang was kidnapped and asked for 500,000 yuan (US$61,652) as ransom. After investigation, police caught Zhang and Tao on the same day for swindling and returned Zhang's father about 200,000 yuan he had given Tao to get his "kidnapped" son back.

Xinwen Evening New