Girls kept in chains finally freed
By Wang Xiang |
May 20, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO teenage girls kidnapped by a suspected rapist in central China and kept chained in a windowless basement for almost a year are free - thanks to a faulty television set.
The girls were rescued after smuggling out an SOS message hidden in the television set that was sent to a repair shop.
The two, aged 16 and 19, were found naked and with their legs manacled in an underground chamber in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province.
The older girl was just 200 meters away from her home.
The girls were in poor condition and filthy, Beijing News reported yesterday.
Zeng Xiangbao, who built the cellar under his house, was arrested over a rape case a week before the girls were rescued.
Police did not say if the girls were sexually assaulted.
Zeng was a neighbor of the older girl. Her uncle said he helped build the suspect's house in 2009.
The 19-year-old's father, surnamed Zhou, said his daughter went missing last July.
Zhou reported the matter to police but her disappearance remained a mystery until a stranger, surnamed Du, called him last Friday.
Map supplied
Du said a friend of his, an electronics repairman, found a note in a television set that read: "Help us. We have been kidnapped for a year."
The victim included her father's name and phone number on the message and drew a map showing her location.
She said she had tried to sneak out a message many times during the year but failed on each occasion.
Zhou informed police and a team of officers swooped on the site pinpointed on the map.
They found a hidden door on the floor, covered with dust and ash camouflage.
They opened the door, climbed down to the basement via a wooden ladder and found the naked, cowering girls.
The two girls had relied solely on a box of instant noodles to survive after Zeng's arrest.
They could have starved to death if Du's friend did not take the note seriously, the report said.
Du told Zhou that he and his friend almost threw away the note, thinking it was a prank.
Zhou said his daughter was taken to a police station after she was discharged from hospital.
He said she appeared pale but generally healthy.
Public security bureau officers refused to comment on the case, saying only that the girls were now under police protection.
A neighborhood community official told the newspaper that Zeng was a 39-year old "strangely silent" divorced man.
The girls were rescued after smuggling out an SOS message hidden in the television set that was sent to a repair shop.
The two, aged 16 and 19, were found naked and with their legs manacled in an underground chamber in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province.
The older girl was just 200 meters away from her home.
The girls were in poor condition and filthy, Beijing News reported yesterday.
Zeng Xiangbao, who built the cellar under his house, was arrested over a rape case a week before the girls were rescued.
Police did not say if the girls were sexually assaulted.
Zeng was a neighbor of the older girl. Her uncle said he helped build the suspect's house in 2009.
The 19-year-old's father, surnamed Zhou, said his daughter went missing last July.
Zhou reported the matter to police but her disappearance remained a mystery until a stranger, surnamed Du, called him last Friday.
Map supplied
Du said a friend of his, an electronics repairman, found a note in a television set that read: "Help us. We have been kidnapped for a year."
The victim included her father's name and phone number on the message and drew a map showing her location.
She said she had tried to sneak out a message many times during the year but failed on each occasion.
Zhou informed police and a team of officers swooped on the site pinpointed on the map.
They found a hidden door on the floor, covered with dust and ash camouflage.
They opened the door, climbed down to the basement via a wooden ladder and found the naked, cowering girls.
The two girls had relied solely on a box of instant noodles to survive after Zeng's arrest.
They could have starved to death if Du's friend did not take the note seriously, the report said.
Du told Zhou that he and his friend almost threw away the note, thinking it was a prank.
Zhou said his daughter was taken to a police station after she was discharged from hospital.
He said she appeared pale but generally healthy.
Public security bureau officers refused to comment on the case, saying only that the girls were now under police protection.
A neighborhood community official told the newspaper that Zeng was a 39-year old "strangely silent" divorced man.
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