Attempt to kidnap Chinese billionaire thwarted after son swam across river and raised alarm: Report

He Xiangjian (Centre) (Image: PTI)

Chinese billionaire and founder of home appliance maker Midea Group He Xiangjian was held hostage along with his family on June 14, in what turned out to be a dramatic kidnapping attempt. According to a report by CNN, five people broke into the Chinese entrepreneur's residence in  Foshan, a city in the southern province of Guangdong.

The attempted kidnapping was, however, thwarted by the police after Xiangjin's son managed to swim across a nearby river and raise alarm. He reportedly made a call to the police, following which the authorities were able to arrest all those involved in the attempt, without any case of harm or injury being reported.

In addition, a few reports later noted the kidnappers had explosive devices on them. The hostage situation was likened to the plot of a dramatic action movie by many on social media.

He Xiangjian is the founder of the Midea Group, a leading electrical appliance manufacturer. With a net worth of nearly $25 billion, he features among the world's top 50 billionaires as per the Forbes  Billionaire List 2020 and also makes it to last year's list of China's richest people, securing a spot among the top 10.

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