A 28-year-old Chinese international graduate, Mr. Fang, recently became a victim of a violent knife attack in his Melbourne apartment, resulting in the loss of two fingers and injuries to his knee. In a troubling turn of events, he later discovered that a friend had defrauded him of A$54,000 (approximately US$35,000) intended for his medical expenses. As of now, both the assailant and the individual responsible for the theft have yet to be apprehended.
On November 11, Mr. Fang took to social media to share his harrowing experience, detailing how he was assaulted by an attacker while also being deceived by his friend, known as Laura (a pseudonym). According to him, Laura has since vanished after taking the money. Mr. Fang has reported the incidents to the local authorities.
Local news outlets reported that Mr. Fang, originally from Shijiazhuang, graduated from Monash University in Melbourne this year. On the night of November 8, he was invited to his landlord’s apartment for a poker game. During the gathering, a minor dispute arose over financial matters, leading to altercations with the landlord’s friends. One individual engaged in the fight grabbed a knife from the kitchen and seriously injured Mr. Fang, slicing his knee and severing two of his fingers. Mr. Fang noted that the attacker, named Lin, has a prior criminal record and has even appeared in local news. Following the attack, Lin fled the scene.
After the incident, Mr. Fang sought financial assistance from his family and friends to cover medical expenses. He explained that he had only a local bank card in Australia, and after losing his old one, he hadn’t reissued it. Consequently, he asked his family and friends to transfer A$54,000 into Laura’s bank account, trusting she would help him with the medical payments. Unfortunately, after receiving the funds, she became unreachable.
Mr. Fang mentioned that Laura was a fellow Chinese international student he had known for four to five months. They had developed a good rapport, and he had trusted her. The betrayal was thus particularly painful.
Following the incident, Mr. Fang attempted to contact Laura via WeChat, but his requests went unanswered. Furthermore, her family members in China could not be reached as their phones were turned off.
One of Mr. Fang’s friends, Suki, has been assisting him by managing his daily care in the hospital and liaising with local police regarding the investigation of the assault and the retrieval of the stolen funds. In a message to the police, Suki provided a detailed account of the events, and the police responded, stating that once Mr. Fang is medically cleared, he will need to visit the local police station in the western suburbs of Melbourne to give his statement. They assured him that they will work to recover the defrauded amount.
The incident has sparked significant attention on social media in mainland China, with many netizens expressing sympathy for Mr. Fang. They noted the severity of his situation, which has involved both a violent physical attack and betrayal by someone he considered a friend.
“As if the physical pain inflicted by the assault was not enough, the emotional anguish of being betrayed by a compatriot who took away his life-saving funds is unimaginable,” commented one netizen. “Living in a foreign country is tough enough, as we often believe we can rely on fellow countrymen for support. Yet, this trust has been profoundly violated.”
The dual traumas Mr. Fang has endured highlight the complexities and challenges faced by international students, adding urgency to the call for increased safety and support networks for individuals studying abroad.