The victim, surnamed Chen, chairman of the Lishui City Real Estate Company, in Lishui City, Zhejiang, was allegedly accosted by the four men in his garage as he returned home at 12:30 am on June 7.

The four allegedly took Chen to a bamboo forest near a village in Liandu District and demanded a ransom of one million yuan (US$120,481).

After obtaining the ransom, the kidnappers allegedly stole Chen's Rolex watch, two cell phones and fled in his Mercedes-Benz car later the same morning. Chen managed to escape around noon and reported to the police.

Two hundred officers from the police bureau of Lishui City set up check points immediately and began an investigation. They found Chen's abandoned car on the morning of June 8.

Following an investigation, police arrested two of the men at Jinye Hotel in Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province, on June 9. The tow other men were arrested later.

The four men -- Lin Guangyao, Zheng Qinmei, Chen Xinfei and LinGuobang -- all natives of Fujian Province, allegedly confessed to the crime and surrendered toy pistols, 860,000 yuan (US$103,906) in cash and bankbooks.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2003)