A local court sentenced a loan shark to 10 months in prison for kidnapping a man and forcing him at knife point to promise to repay his son's 400,000 yuan ($63,598) gambling debt, plus interest, Pudong New Area People's Court announced Tuesday.
The defendant, surnamed Luo, was charged with illegal detention for abducting a man surnamed Fu from outside a card room in the town of Liuzao in Pudong, according to a news release from the court.
After the two men met in the card room, Luo told Fu that they needed to talk about his son's debt. When they went outside, Luo and a gang of cronies forced Fu into a car and put a cloth over his head.
They drove for 10 minutes before taking Fu into a house, where Luo beat him, according to the court.
They forced Fu to kneel on the ground at knife point and told him to sign a debt agreement that promised to pay Luo 510,000 yuan.
Fu reported the abduction to police after Luo released him the following afternoon. He had suffered minor injuries.
The police found that Fu's son, who liked to play electronic slot machines, had went into hiding after losing all of his money, including the 400,000 yuan he borrowed from Luo, according to the court.
An illegal detention conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of three years. The court said it gave Luo a light sentence because he confessed to his crimes when questioned by the police.
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