Toronto police say all three missing Chinese nationals studying in Canada have been located.
They were believed to have been victims of an international kidnapping scam
Ke “Jaden” Xu, 16, was located by Toronto police around 9 a.m. on Monday. Yue Liu, 17, was located in Kirkland, Que. around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night. The third student, 20-year-old Juanwen Zhang, was found after making contact with police on Saturday.
Toronto police have warned of a scam involving attempts to convince families in China that their loved ones have been kidnapped, demanding a ransom. Police say the scammers instructed the Chinese nationals in Canada to go into hiding or warned them their families in China would be hurt.
Const. Caroline de Kloet said loved ones notified police that students were missing.
Police said the students were told not to use social media or their cellphones. They said Liu defied that order and discovered a flood of messages about the scam.
All three students, and their families, are said to be safe, according to police.
An investigation into who contacted the students is ongoing, de Kloet said. No suspects have been identified.
With files from The Canadian Press
