One of three missing Chinese students found, police say

Police say Juan Wen Zhang, 20, was located Saturday afternoon — she had been missing since Wednesday. (Photo: Toronto Police/Twitter)

Toronto police say one of three missing Chinese students has been located.

Police say Juan Wen Zhang, 20, was located Saturday afternoon — she had been missing since Wednesday.

Another student, Yue “Kandy” Liu, 17, was last seen in north Toronto on Friday morning while a third student, Ke “Jaden” Xu, 16, was last seen on Thursday.

Police say they believe the three were caught up in a scam meant to extort large sums from their families and that investigators are concerned about the safety of the two students who remain missing.

They believe the disappearances are linked to a scam in which Chinese students are told to go into hiding and stay off social media or their relatives in China will be hurt.

The families in China are then contacted and told that the student has been kidnapped, and are then asked to pay a large ransom.

Toronto police would give no further details about the scam, citing an ongoing investigation. But they say such rackets are not unheard of and typically target the Chinese community.