3 Chinese Nationals Among 5 Sentenced to 15 Years in Egypt For Kidnapping Fellow Citizen

An Egyptian court has sentenced five defendants, including three Chinese nationals, to 15 years in prison for kidnapping a Chinese citizen in New Cairo and demanding a US$70,000 ransom for his release, local media reported.

The Cairo Criminal Court handed down the ruling on June 15, according to Ahram Online. Among those convicted is a Chinese woman surnamed Chi, whose disappearance in Egypt last year sparked widespread concern.

The court also ordered the confiscation of firearms, knives, and mobile phones seized during the investigation and required the convicted defendants to pay court costs.

According to court documents, the defendants lured the victim, Chinese national Ren Binglin, to Egypt under the pretext of offering him a job opportunity in the information technology sector.

After arriving at Cairo International Airport, the victim was taken to an apartment in Rehab City, where he was blindfolded, restrained, and held captive in a room while being threatened with firearms and knives, prosecutors said.

Investigators found that the kidnappers took the victim's mobile phone and money before recording videos of him and sending them to his family through the WeChat messaging application. The family was threatened with the victim's death unless a ransom of US$70,000 was paid.

Security forces located the victim after receiving a report from the Chinese embassy in Cairo. Police raided the apartment where he was being held, freed him, and arrested the suspects along with the weapons allegedly used in the crime.

The court said the convictions were based on the victim's testimony, testimony from a secretary at the Chinese embassy in Cairo, police investigations, forensic and technical reports, and confessions made by two of the defendants during the investigation.

In September 2025, Chi's mother told media that her 21-year-old daughter had traveled to Egypt for work and study. She lost contact with her family and friends on September 21, prompting an urgent search.

On September 30, 2025, Egypt's Interior Ministry confirmed in a social media statement that Chi and several others had been taken into custody for belonging to a criminal gang specializing in online fraud. The gang, consisting of eight members, was found to have lured victims – primarily their fellow countrymen – with fake job offers in e-commerce in Egypt. Upon the victims' arrival, the gang would kidnap them and force them to contact their families, demanding ransom payments.

Three other defendants in the case – identified as Youssef A.A.A., Mostafa H.A.A., and Ayman A.A.A. – were acquitted by the court due to insufficient evidence.