China arrests five after attempt to kidnap billionaire

Five people have been arrested in China after an attempt to kidnap one of the country’s richest men, He Xiangjian.

Mr He is the billionaire founder of the Midea Group, one of the world’s biggest home appliance manufacturers.

Police were notified of the break-in on Sunday at his luxury villa in Foshan city in southern Guangdong province by his son who eluded the intruders.

All involved were arrested and no one hurt, said police. Social media users likened it to an action film plot.

Mr He’s son reportedly snuck out of the property and swam across a nearby river to seek help.

What happened?

The police in Foshan received a call on Sunday evening saying that suspects had entered He Xiangjian’s luxury villa, and were believed to be carrying explosive devices.

The call is believed to have been made by He Jianfeng, the tycoon’s 55-year-old son and one of the group’s directors. Technology news website TMT Post says that he “swam across the river near his house to call the police”.

The independent South China Morning Post says that multiple people in the local community told the paper that they were ordered to stay under strict lockdown between Sunday evening and Monday morning while the police responded to the incident.

“I was scared to some extent, after all I have always thought that the security here is better than in other neighbourhoods,” one resident told the paper.

Source: bbc.com

The post China arrests five after attempt to kidnap billionaire appeared first on The Chronicle Online.

Read Full Story