A wife and husband in China who went to a bank to get a business loan have accused a manager at the finance outlet of sexual and physical assault.
The couple from Gansu province in north-central China recently posted a video on Douyin, accusing a bank employee of the crimes.
In the video, they show their identity cards to attest to the truth of their claims.
The husband, Du Hongbin, said they were applying for a loan for their business from a manager, surnamed Tian, at a branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in a county in Gansu.
Tian has been accused of repeatedly harassing Du’s wife, Zhao Yufeng, under the pretext of approving the loan, including requesting private meetings and sexual favours.
Du had several heated arguments with Tian about his behaviour over the phone.
Nevertheless, on July 28, the couple went to Tian’s home to discuss the details of the loan.
The couple claimed that when they arrived, Tian, his wife and their two sons, assaulted them, locked the door, and smashed their mobile phones to prevent them from recording anything.
“Tian hit us on the head with an ashtray and a wooden stick and even demanded we kneel and beg for mercy,” said Zhao.
She said he later destroyed many items in his home, placed a kitchen knife in her unconscious husband’s hand, and called the police.
But Tian claimed Du and Zhao came to his home to cause trouble, and he acted in “self-defence”, resulting in their injuries.
The police sent the couple to hospital.
“My husband needed about 20 stitches on his face, and I had 17 on my forehead. I also have a fractured orbital bone. We were both badly injured and hospitalised for several days,” Zhao said.
On August 7, the local government announced that Tian had been suspended from his position at the bank, and he and his family members had been detained by the police for further investigation.
The incident has caused much discussion on mainland social media.
“Tian and his family are demons,” one Weibo user wrote.
“Why did Tian ask the couple to discuss loan matters at his home? This should clearly have been handled at the bank,” said another.
“The bank’s personnel management is worrying. This employee should not only be fired but also bear the criminal responsibility,” a third person said.
In China, people convicted of causing intentional injury face three to 10 years in prison.
