A man kidnapped and sold as an infant nearly two decades ago is now seeking compensation of 6.77 million yuan (approx. Rs 7.8 crore) from the defendants in a Chinese court. The Intermediate People's Court in Taiwan, Shandong province, is hearing the case.
Jiang Jiaru, now 18, was reunited with his biological mother in 2023.
"You have caused me unimaginable harm that can't be remedied," he said in the court, adding no amount of money or apology could fully fix what he had been through.
Mr Jiaru was kidnapped by three men when he was eight months old, according to a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The three men barged into his house in Houyu Village, armed with pincers and sticks, and violently assaulted his grandparents before kidnapping him.
The boy's grandmother revealed in court that the man assaulted her husband, covering him in blood due to the brutal beating. She said, "They even trampled on his head, causing his eyes to bulge." She was too scared to scream, as one of the kidnappers pressed an iron pipe against her neck, she added.
"I watched helplessly as they took away my grandson, unable to act."
The trio then sold the boy to a couple living in Jining and divided the proceeds of 28,600 yuan (approx. Rs 3.29 lakh) among themselves.
The court documents pointed out that the case involved one more person who allegedly provided personal information about the victim's family to the other three defendants. The fourth defendant, surnamed Yuan, informed them that the baby was solely cared for by his grandparents while his parents worked in another city.
During the court hearing, the two defendants, Lu and Wang, admitted that they were involved in the kidnapping, while the other two, Yuan and Zeng, said they did not take part in the crime and denied any involvement.
Mr Zeng stated in court that he did not engage in the baby theft but did admit to introducing the buyer to the group. Mr Yuan said that he was unaware that they intended to kidnap the child.
The court has yet to pronounce the verdict.
