Four defendants await verdict in child abduction case

Four people accused of abducting and selling an infant in 2006 stood trial on Tuesday at Tai'an Intermediate People's Court in east China's Shandong Province. The court did not issue an immediate verdict after the daylong proceedings.

The indictment in the case shows that after examination by the procuratorate, it was found that in the early hours of December 4, 2006, suspects Zeng, Lu, and Wang broke into the home of Jiang Jiaru in Feicheng, Shandong, armed with weapons.

After violently subduing Jiang's grandparents, they snatched the 8-month-old baby from his bed. The next day, Zeng and Lu sold Jiang for 28,600 yuan (US$3933), splitting the profits with Wang.

Another defendant, surnamed Yuan, who lived just several hundred meters from Jiang's family, provided information to the other three and led them to scout the location in advance.

The abduction devastated Jiang's family. His grandfather, overwhelmed by guilt and grief, died a few years later. Jiang's parents embarked on a 17-year-long journey to find their son.

In January 2024, police, using facial recognition technology, located Jiang Jiaru in Jining, Shandong, now a high school student and preparing for his college entrance examination. The four suspects were arrested.

According to the indictment, all four had criminal records prior to their arrest. The three intruders had been jailed for theft, with two also convicted of rape and escape. Wang had served a cumulative 23-year sentence for past crimes.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the defendants committed child trafficking with extreme cruelty and caused severe social harm, warranting harsh punishment. The victim's family and legal representatives called for the strictest penalties, saying all four played key roles in the crime.

Jiang, now 18, attended the trial. Before the hearing, he posted a video stating: "18 years ago, I couldn't stop this. Today, I'll make sure you go where you belong."