Three minors were sent to court Thursday by the Pudong New Area Prosecutors' Office charged with illegal detention.

The 17-year-olds allegedly detained and forced a 14-year-old beggar to steal money for them, prosecutors said.

Wan Xiaoshan, Wang Lei and Chen Ziqiang are all sons of migrant workers. Because their families weren't rich, they always felt they didn't have enough money.

On the evening of February 10, they went to an Internet bar in Pudong to play online games. After two hours, their money was gone. While they looked at the other players enviously, a boy playing a game nearby attracted their attention. They recognized him as a beggar who panhandled for money in the nearby areas.

Xiao Hai, a beggar from Guizhou Province, is an orphan abandoned by his parents. Early last year he came to the city and lived on the proceeds of his begging.

Following that night, the trio met Xiao several times at the same bar. Thinking that even a beggar could afford to play online games often while they couldn't, they decided to get some money from the boy.

On March 4, they waited outside the Internet bar and took Xiao to Wang's residence. They searched the boy and found only coins. The beggar said he had used all his money and would give them money when he finished begging the next day.

The three minors, eager to get money, decided to force the boy to steal money. They took the boy to a night club and waited outside.

"If you don't get money, we will break your legs," they allegedly threatened.

But they didn't see that the beggar fled out the back door, after waiting for more than an hour.

The angry suspects caught the beggar again a week later. They burned his hand with a cigarette and again coerced him stealing in a hotel.

The beggar then called the police after entering the hotel and they were all caught.

(Shanghai Daily July 23, 2004)