Abducted Chinese woman released; police then arrest her for overstaying visa

A 37-year-old Chinese woman, who was abducted in Tokyo on April 22, was taken into protective custody Saturday, police said. After she was kidnapped on her way home in Adachi ward at around 5 a.m. last Sunday, there were some 20 threatening calls via her mobile phone to her relative, who also lives in Tokyo.

The group of kidnappers, believed to be four or five, demanded in Japanese that the relative pay a 15 million yen ransom, police said. While detained, the woman was handcuffed, blindfolded and punched, police said. She was released early Saturday morning with slight injuries, while there was no transfer of money from her relative to the criminals, according to the police.

The woman, who was involved in the adult entertainment business, was arrested on suspicion of overstaying her visa following her release by the kidnappers, police said.