Nanny arson case suspect detained in Hangzhou
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E-mail China Plus, July 2, 2017
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Suspect, 34-year-old Mo Huanjing, is now in the custody of the authorities. [Photo/thepaper.cn] |
A woman has been detained by police in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in connection with a suspected arson attack on an apartment in the eastern city’s upmarket Shangcheng District.
The incident sparked a storm of comment on social media in China with 53 million views on Weibo within three days, and attracting more than 50 thousand comments.
The fire broke out at 5 a.m. on June 22 in an apartment on the 18th floor of a residential complex. Firefighters managed to put the fire out after an hour, but the residents, a mother and her three children – aged 6, 8 and 11 – died from their injuries in hospital.
It’s reported the mother had awoken to find the fire, and sent the nanny to get help. Her husband was away on business.
The 34-year-old nanny, Mo Huanjing, from Guangdong province has reportedly confessed to using a lighter to start the fire in the living room. She had been employed a year earlier, and had allegedly borrowed money to repay gambling debts.
The case has put China's chaotic housekeeping market under intense scrutiny. According to Global Times, cases of domestic helpers killing clients, abusing babies and stealing property have been reported in recent years, due to a lack of controls in the domestic worker market.
There have been widespread calls for the better regulation of the sector.
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