ALBAWABA - A Chinese tourist was believed to have been kidnapped during her trip to Egypt, after a call for ransom to release her.
However, the thing turned out to be much darker. The Chinese woman, 21, was identified as Chi Guanying. She was earlier feared to have gone missing while enjoying her time in Egypt.
Egyptian authorities released a statement saying the woman was actually part of a cyber fraud gang.
Egyptian media detailed that the Chinese tourist was part of a larger group that consisted of eight members, including three Chinese nationals, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced on Sept. 29.
The ministry added that the gang were arrested and firearms, knives, stun guns and mobile phones were seized from the apartment.
The gang's criminal activity focused on luring their victims, most of whom were Chinese citizens, under the pretext of providing them with job opportunities in the field of e-commerce in Egypt.
The statement indicated that the gang kidnapped the victims upon their arrival in the country, then forced them to contact their families abroad to pay large sums of money as ransom, which were transferred via online platforms.
It added, "Legal measures have been taken and the Public Prosecution Office is conducting the investigation."
(Egyptian Ministry of Interior/ Facebook)
