After a month of captivity, a Vietnamese businessman and his interpreter, being held for a $323,000 ransom, were rescued by Chinese police last week, reports Tuoi Tre.

The businessman, a 39-year-old farm produce trader and his 27-year-old interpreter arrived in Nanning on February 17 to meet Chinese business partners, according to police.

The pair was invited to dinner by a couple who brought them to a large restaurant. After the meal, the hosts brought their Vietnamese guests to discuss business at a local tea house. Upon their arrival, they were jumped by more than 10 people and detained.

The following evening, the kidnappers called the family of the Vietnamese businessman and requested a 1.5 million yuan ransom, saying that if their demands were not met, they would harm their captives.

When asked for additional time to prepare the money, the kidnappers upped the ransom to 2 million yuan ($323,000).

On February 27, the family wired 600,000 yuan to an account at a branch of the Chinese Agricultural Bank in Guangzhou after which communication ceased.

The family reported the case to the Social Crime Investigation Police Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security who in turn altered their Chinese counterparts about the kidnapping.

On March 5, Chinese police announced that they had busted the kidnapping ring which included 16 suspects and released the Vietnamese captives. They were returned to Vietnam on March 15.

Authorities are working to recover the family’s ransom money.

We would have called Liam Neeson:

[Tuoi Tre]