Four men try to emulate TV kidnapping plot, get arrested

The four men began following luxury cars to find a suitable target. They settled on a BMW, whose owner turned out to be a real estate company boss named Li Tianfu. One night, the four ambushed Li at his home, forced him into their car with toy guns and drove him to a rented house in Zhejiang Province.

Li was told they were part of a large kidnapping gang, and agreed to pay a 5-million-yuan ransom. He was released after seven days, and promptly went to the police. Yesterday, the four cohorts were caught and arrested.

"I didn't know the victim at all," Liu told prosecutors. "Me and some other men from my village looked for people driving expensive cars. I thought it was a disgrace if I went back to my hometown without earning a lot of money. I didn't know kidnapping was a serious crime."

"I thought I could earn enough money in one attempt if I copied the television show," Liu allegedly told prosecutors. "I didn't think I would be caught."

Maybe he should have watched the show to its finale. Unless it somehow veered from the plot of normal Chinese television dramas, the criminal always gets caught. The CCP doesn't believe in fictional injustice.

Source: Shanghai Daily