11 Suspects of Pedophile Ring Busted in Eastern China

Kaifeng police posted on its Chinese social media account on Sunday that the police officers discovered the child sex abuse group in Weishi County in Henan province through a civilian tip, reports Sixth Tone.

Among the arrested suspects include a married couple, identified with their surnames Li and Liu, who reportedly used coercion tactics to force underage student girls to have sex with two businessmen surnamed Zhou and Zhao, the Weibo post stated.

Li, Liu, and two others have been arrested on the suspicion of forced prostitution, while Zhou and Zhao were also detained by police on the suspicion of rape. A total of 11 suspects have been arrested and are currently under investigation, with a deputy of local people’s congress also allegedly involved in the case.

According to the Legal Mirror (via the Global Times), around 30 high school students from Henan, including several under 14 years old, have been forced to provide sex services since 2015.

Under Chinese laws, engaging in sex with girls under the age 14 years old holds a maximum of 15 years in prison for offenders. Convictions for child rape may also carry a possible death sentence.