A Richmond woman who survived a possible abduction attempt is sharing her terrifying experience with the public to warn others.
According to the fourth-year international student, who is attending Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Richmond campus, on July 6 around midnight she was parking her car in her apartment’s garage in central Richmond when she was approached by a blue BMW.
As she was getting out of her car, a man got out of the BMW, ran towards her and pepper sprayed her in the face.
Then, a woman emerged from the same BMW, and blocked the victim’s way, asking her if she needed help.
“However, the female didn’t help me. Instead, she dragged me and let the man pepper-spray me for the second time. Then they tried to pull me into their car with my hoodie.
“I got rid of my hoodie and ran desperately towards the elevator door,” said the alleged victim.
In the elevator, she went up to her apartment floor, ran down the hallway and banged on the door to her apartment. Her boyfriend quickly answered and immediately called the police.
The student said her eyes were stinging and watery, and her nose was running from the pepper spray. Her arms and legs are still bruised, she added.
“The whole experience was very traumatic, and I still feel the pain while recalling the memory. But I don’t want to see this horrible thing happen to others.
“Especially for women who live or travel alone, always be careful and take necessary precautions to ensure your safety,” said the woman.
Richmond RCMP confirmed they are investigating the incident.
It is unclear if this in fact was a kidnapping attempt, but in April 2019, Wanzhen Lu, 22, an international student from China was forced into minivan in an underground parking garage in Markham, Ont.
A ransom was demanded and Lu was found three days later on a rural road in Gravenhurst, Ont.
More recently, police have warned of a number of virtual kidnapping scams that have targeted international Chinese students as a means to extort money from the students’ families.
