On April 23, a woman in Jieyang, Guangdong Province, released a video claiming that while she was working at a restaurant, a male colleague deliberately locked her inside the cold storage room. The woman said she was “severely frightened” by this incident, and despite calling the police and demanding a heartfelt apology from the male colleague, she ended up receiving a warning and reprimand from the police instead.
The video showed the woman entering the cold storage room with the door open. At that moment, a male chef glanced inside, quickly closed the door, and ran away with a smile. The woman then began banging on the door for help, but the male chef listened at the door, smiled, and left. Other male chefs in the kitchen were also busy with their tasks and ignored her pleas. It was only after the woman called the boss that she learned there was a door release button inside the cold storage room, allowing her to get out.
After the woman emerged from the cold storage, she questioned her male colleagues about who locked her inside, nearly causing her to freeze to death. None of the male colleagues admitted to it, so the woman decided to call the police. She expressed that although she didn’t suffer any physical harm, the reactions of her colleagues made her angry and scared. “I cannot imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t had my phone with me.”
The police later checked the surveillance video in the back kitchen and identified the male chef who locked the door. Faced with the evidence, the male chef finally apologized to the woman. However, according to the woman’s post, the apology consisted of just a brief “sorry,” followed by asking the police if he could make a “peace” hand gesture in a photo.
“I cannot accept his attitude,” the woman said. She requested a sincere apology from her male colleague, but was promptly rebuked by two police officers, asking her, “What more do you want?!”
The woman stated, “I was a bit stunned at that moment. I thought the victim should be criticized at least, but there was none. Instead, I only received those so-called apologies and a stern warning and reprimand.”
According to the woman, the person who locked her in the cold storage room was the nephew of the store’s major shareholder. Following this incident, she resigned from the restaurant.
The event sparked discussions among netizens online. Some commented, “After watching the original video, suspect glanced inside, locked the door with a smile, and ran away. Who would believe it wasn’t intentional?” “There should be limits even when joking.” “What if there was no door release inside?” “The way the police handled it is also questionable.” “It feels outrageous to reprimand the victim.”
Currently, the original video has been deleted. According to the woman, she received a warning not to share the video again.
It is noted that the temperature in a freezer can drop to about minus 25 degrees Celsius, causing significant discomfort to human bodies inside. Prolonged exposure may lead to frostbite or even life-threatening conditions.