A 31-year-old Winnipeg man is said to have worked with another man to stage his own kidnapping in an attempt to extort his parents of money overseas.
Police say they received a report of a man having been kidnapped and a video sent electronically to his parents in China demanding a ransom.
Investigators were able to locate the alleged victim unharmed at a home in the 100 block of Arden Avenue.
Police say he staged the entire incident for financial gain. The incident then turned from kidnapping to a public mischief and extortion investigation
Yang Xi was arrested and charged on March 1. His accomplice, Ji Zhang, 24, also of Winnipeg, has been charged with extortion and public mischief.
