A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping a Chinese international student in Markham for ransom earlier this year.
Wanzhen Lu, who is currently studying in Toronto, was walking in an underground parking garage at a condominium building in the area of Highway 7 and Birchmount Road with a friend on March 23 when a group of male suspects pulled up beside them in a van.
Police said one of the suspects shocked the 22-year-old with a stun gun multiple times before forcing him into the vehicle and speeding off. The friend Lu was with did not sustain any injuries in the incident.
Lu was later found safe in Gravenhurst four days later by a man out walking his dog. He was suffering from minor injuries at the time and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Two suspects, identified as 33-year-old Hashim Abdullahi and 37-year-old Abdullahi Adan, were arrested in connection with the investigation. They were both charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, and assault.
Both suspects are being held in police custody and are scheduled to appear in court next on July 3.
York Regional Police then arrested and charged a third suspect, identified as Nathan Plater.
Plater pleaded guilty to kidnapping for ransom and was subsequently sentenced to four years in person, police said on Friday.
“He will serve three years and nine months after being given credit for 90 days pre-trial custody,” investigators said in a news release.
A Canada-wide arrest warrant remains in effect for a fourth suspect, identified as 28-year-old Muzamil Addow from Toronto.
“The investigation is ongoing,” police said. “We strongly recommend that the outstanding suspect involved in this kidnapping seek legal counsel and turn himself in.”
Anyone with further information is asked to contact officers or Crime Stoppers.
