A man who unlawfully detained his girlfriend after she tried to break up with him has been arrested for kidnapping in Meizhou, reports Shantou Metropolis News.

Chen moved in with the widowed Zhou in Wuhua County, Meizhou in 1997. As the pair quarrelled frequently last year, Zhou wanted to break up but Chen refused. Zhou filed a lawsuit with the county court in June to officially sever their relationship and end cohabitation. In the meantime, she moved back to her father's home until the trial, scheduled for July 14.

Zhou was washing clothes at a nearby river on July 8 when Chen suddenly appeared on a motorcycle. He grabbed the woman, put her on the motorcycle and sped away, said witnesses.

Chen forced Zhou to stay with him, hiding out in five different towns before police tracked them down on July 18.

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