Kidnapped student turns up on doorstep of rural Toronto home

GRAVENHURST, Ontario – The knock on the door in Gravenhurst, Ont., came around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Standing outside the rural cottage, some 100 miles north of the Toronto suburb from which he was kidnapped Saturday, was 22-year-old Wanzhen “Peter” Lu, looking for help.

The homeowner immediately called police, who found the Chinese international student “in good health” despite minor injuries, according to a statement.

Police previously said Lu was shocked multiple times with a stun gun as men with hoods pulled tightly around their faces forced him into a van in the parking garage of his Markham condo building. Lu—who is pursuing a bachelor of business administration at Toronto’s private Yorkville University—was taken to a nearby hospital for assessment, per the CBC.

Police radio transmissions “suggest Lu had escaped his captors, who had kept the exchange student bound and hooded since he was kidnapped,” reports the Toronto Sun. This came as great news to “traumatized” family members who’d arrived in Toronto from China on Monday.

“They along with all of our investigators were very concerned for the well being of Mr. Lu,” York Regional Police spokesman Andy Pattenden tells the National Post.

In a statement, police say they “will continue to dedicate significant resources to find the four suspects” who are still at large. “We’re very concerned that they’re still out there,” adds Pattenden, per the CBC.

A 35-year-old man from Toronto was arrested early Tuesday in connection with the case. He was then released unconditionally and is not facing charges.