A woman in Peizhou City, Jiangsu Province, recently posted an online plea for help, stating that her husband had applied for an international seafarer job online and went missing while transiting in Cambodia. It is suspected to be a case of international recruitment fraud, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
According to the woman’s post and a report by Xinjing News, the woman’s husband, Mr. Bian Changpeng, is a 35-year-old seafarer. After completing a domestic shipping assignment on November 25th last year, due to financial pressures at home, he applied for a long-distance ocean job around December 20th. On December 22nd, he flew to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport for a transfer to board a ship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. However, upon arrival at Baiyun Airport, he was suddenly informed to change course to Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia for the transfer due to other crew members going there together.
The woman stated that after arriving at Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia, she had a video call with her husband until 11:40 pm that day. Later, someone picked him up to take photos at the embassy, and then communication was lost. It wasn’t until 10:30 am on the 24th that she received a call from her husband, claiming that her mother-in-law had broken her nose and asked her to borrow money from the village secretary to take her to the hospital. In the call, her husband also instructed her to take care of their two children, speaking in a particularly gloomy tone.
She realized that her husband might be hinting for her to report to the police, as the son of the village secretary works at the local county public security bureau, and her mother-in-law’s nose was not actually broken. After hanging up the phone, she went back to her hometown to report to the police.
Around 5:30 pm on December 30th, the woman received another call from her husband, stating that he was already on the ship and not to worry. She asked the children to call out to their father, and upon hearing them, her husband’s voice sounded choked up. The call lasted for 3 minutes and was then disconnected, losing contact since. Police tracked the mobile signals, confirming that on the 24th and 30th of December, Bian Changpeng was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, but the specific location was unknown.
After the incident, the woman contacted the Guangdong Maritime Bureau. The Maritime Bureau verified with the recruitment company, who responded that they never had an employee by that name. What’s even more disturbing is that this company has experienced three cases last year of individuals impersonating the company for recruitment purposes.
Bian Changpeng’s sister called the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia for assistance, and the Embassy responded by suggesting to contact local police. The local police requested a specific location within the grounds, but as they did not know the detailed address, there were no further developments. “We also requested to view the airport surveillance footage, but received no response,” said the woman.
The woman openly expressed that their family is a simple rural family with two children and elderly in-laws, and her husband is the backbone of the family. Upon hearing the news, her mother-in-law was hospitalized that same night. She hopes to leverage the power of public opinion to exert pressure on the Cambodia side in the hopes of her husband returning home soon. “Even if the other party wants compensation, we are willing, as long as he can come back.”
The staff from the Guangzhou Maritime Bureau responded that they have intervened in handling the matter.