A young girl in Japan who was abducted after meeting with her 44-year-old pen pal managed to get away using some quick thinking and a video game console. After being held captive for close to a full month, the unnamed girl was able to use a PlayStation 4, of all things, to alert the authorities to her location and escape.
As reported by NHK News (via Push Square), the child journeyed some 15 miles from Saitama to Tokyo earlier this summer to meet with a man who she'd apparently met on social media. Once the pair arrived at the man's home in Yokohama, he allegedly confiscated her phone and tied her to a pipe in the basement. While her parents immediately reported their missing daughter to the authorities, she was unable to be traced.
One month later, the police received an email from the girl revealing her location. Using the communication functions of her captor's PlayStation 4, she was able to email the authorities while he was out, telling them "I am being held captive and cannot run away".
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It's not immediately clear whether the girl was able to use voice commands to send these messages, or if her captor had started to trust her enough to leave her untied, giving her a chance to use the controller. Either way, her incredible plan paid off.
The police managed to pursue the case further after exchanging more messages with the girl. It wasn't long before they were able to locate the apartment the girl was being held in and rescue her. Fortunately, Saitama police told press that the girl wasn't physically injured when they entered the abductor's home to rescue her.
To say this would have been a horrific ordeal for the young girl is a gross understatement, but her ability to come up with such an incredible plan under what would have been immense pressure deserves all the praise.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation, PS4