A number of Chinese students studying in the U.S. have been accused of abducting and torturing fellow Chinese students, U.S. media said recently.

Zhai Yunyao, Zhang Xinlei, Yang Yuhan -- all of whom were born in 1996 -- and three other students whose names were not disclosed because they are minors, were accused of abducting and torturing fellow Chinese student Liu Yiran on the night of March 30 in Rowland Heights, Los Angeles County.

According to the victim Liu’s statement on June 3, she was asked out by one of her primary school classmates to “discuss something” and then abducted into a car which stopped at a park.

Liu was then beaten by several girls and stripped of her clothes by a girl named Yang Yuhan and her nipples were burned using cigarette butts. Another female student tried to burn Liu’s hair but did not manage to, due to the cold water splashed on Liu’s body.

Later Liu’s hair was cut and she was forced to pick up the hair and eat it. Other girls pressed her down and forced her to eat the sand on the ground. Another female student took photos of Liu, including naked photos and photos of her eating her hair.

The torture lasted five hours and left Liu with serious injuries. Liu reported the incidents to the local police afterwards and the students were arrested.

The reason behind the torture was said to be rivalry in a relationship, but no further details were available.

The defendants, if convicted, may be subjected to life in prison, as torture is a felony under U.S. law.

Sources close to the defendants said the students were shocked when appearing on court as they did not know that their behavior could lead to life imprisonment. Similar actions in China usually do not constitute crimes.

The students watching from the side and driving the car may also be subject to the same punishment for being accomplices in the torture. In addition, a parent of one of the six defendants was accused of bribing witnesses.

In addition, another female student was also tortured by defendants Zhai Yunyao, Zhang Xinlei and others on March 28.

The cases expose some Chinese students’ lack of awareness of U.S. laws and their inability to behave themselves while living overseas without the supervision of their parents, a lawyer said.

The number of Chinese studying in the U.S. is increasing rapidly and many of them are young students. A report by a Chinese immigration agency in 2014 said that students attending high schools or lower classes constitute 16 percent of the entire Chinese student body in America.

Currently six of the defendants have been arrested and four remain at large. The next court session will be on June 18.

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