SHANGHAI (SCMP): A woman and her accomplices in China have been handed jail terms after they set a visiting-a-prostitute trap for her husband.
According to the crime ring’s meticulously planned marriage scam, if the groom was detained for doing so, the woman could file a divorce and would not be required to return the bride price.
In China, the bride price is given by the man prior to their marriage as a traditional wedding ritual.
However, the vigilant groom did not fall into the trap and called in the police, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.
The case was heard earlier this month by a court in Longli county, Guizhou province, southwestern China.
The woman, surnamed Xiong, and her boyfriend, surnamed Li, were in debt at the beginning of this year.
They befriended two men online, identified by the surnames Zhou and Song who said they could help secure loans.
While meeting in person he two men said their solution was, in fact, a marriage fraud.
They said a groom in the region usually offers a bride price of more than 100,000 yuan (US$13,700), which he would lose for good if he was caught visiting a prostitute.
“I was afraid and I did not dare to join their scheme,” Xiong told the court.
“But they kept on persuading me that I can divorce smoothly and I do not need to return the money. My boyfriend also asked me not to panic. So I agreed to follow their plan,” she added.
Xiong then met a man, surnamed Bao, at a matchmaking agency and days later, they registered their marriage at a civil affairs authority in the county.
Bao gave Xiong 136,666 yuan as the bride price before taking her to his hometown in eastern Jiangsu province to hold the wedding ceremony. He also spent 48,000 yuan (US$6,600) on jewellery for her.
A week later, they returned to Longli county in Guizhou. At a dinner with Li who posed as Xiong’s cousin, Xiong left the restaurant to leave Li to chat with Bao alone.
As Li tried to entice Bao, who was already suspicious because Li refused to sleep with him, to visit a prostitute, he called the police.
The court sentenced Xiong, Li, Zhou and Song to jail for fraud.
Their terms ranged from three years to three years and 10 months and they were ordered to pay 20,000-30,000 yuan (US$2,700-US$4,100) each to Bao to compensate for his financial loss.
Another man employed by the matchmaking agency, was also arrested for participating in the racket because he introduced Bao to Xiong and fabricated her personal information.
The court has yet to decide his fate. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
