Livestreamer’s family plead for help after saying she was kidnapped for ransom in Thailand

A 24-year-old Chinese livestreamer has reportedly been kidnapped, with family members telling news outlets that the alleged kidnappers have demanded a ransom. 

Wang Ran, originally from Harbin, the capital of China’s Heilongjiang province, is a streamer who primarily works in e-commerce. She’s based in Nanjing, the capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province. 

Wang Ran was allegedly kidnapped earlier this month

According to The Beijing News, which spoke to a female cousin of Wang Ran’s, the streamer flew out to Bangkok, Thailand, on September 12th. It’s believed she flew to the foreign country under the promise of work, only to be transported to Myanmar, 531 miles away. 

According to her cousin, Wang Ran went missing after arriving in Thailand. Her family seemed to speak to the press before going to the police, because local news outlets reported that Wang Ran’s father was in the process of going to Nanjing to file the report. 

Credit: Wang Ran

On September 20, police in Nanjing confirmed they had recieved the report from Wang Ran’s father, and that anti-fraud personnel were set to contact the family. 

Most Read

I went on a night out with Bonnie Blue – it was uncomfortable and she’s dead behind the eyes

Monster’s lead star explains why Aileen Wuornos was clumsily shoved into Lizzie Borden show

40 years later, one of the Unsolved Mysteries cold cases has just been solved

Local news also reported that Wang Ran’s family got a video call from her whilst she was in her alleged captor’s clutches. She was reportedly disoriented in a sparsely furnished room, but could not confirm where she was being held. World Journal reported that during a second call with his daughter, Wang Ran’s father spotted a worn bunk bed and a window allegedly covered with black plastic sheets. 

Apparently, the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of 600,000 yuan (approximately £67,000) from her family, or else they would “sell her to a clubhouse in the fraud ring.” The ransom deadline was initially September 20, but it’s unclear whether that has been extended. 

After her family went to the press, the kidnappers are said to have messaged: “You have to raise the money for me, or I will sell her.”

The police in China are still investigating, but more information is expected to follow. 

For more, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: